TITLE: Lost and Found

AUTHOR: ZA Maxfield

PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing

LENGTH: 140 pages

BLURB: Lost: one dog and two men in need of each other. Found: love.

RV resort security chief Ringo never believed in love at first sight . . . until he saw Gavin playing his sax on the beach for the tourists. But their on-again, off-again affair—even counting all the great makeup sex—doesn’t come close to the relationship he wants. All he really wants for Christmas is a commitment from Gavin.

Instead he discovers that Gavin has had surgery without telling him, so he lays down a relationship ultimatum while Gavin recuperates. Complicating matters even more, Gavin’s beloved dog Bird runs away, and Gavin blames Ringo for the disappearance.

While Ringo throws every resource he has into finding Bird, he learns deeper truths about Gavin—how hard it is for him to trust and how little faith he has in love. Maybe if Ringo can find Bird, he can salvage Gavin’s faith. Maybe this Christmas, they can all find each other.

20% of all proceeds from this title are donated to the Ali Forney Center in New York, whose mission “is to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning (LGBTQ) youth from the harm of homelessness, and to support them in becoming safe and independent as they move from adolescence to adulthood.” To learn more about this charity or to donate directly, please visit http://www.aliforneycenter.org/.

REVIEW: 

Rigoberto (Ringo) Salazar manages security for a beachfront RV/trailer resort in soCal. Gavin Lopez lives at the resort in his beat-up home on wheels… but not too close to the ritzier mobile mansions that vacation there.

Ringo and Gavin have been on-again, off-again lovers for a while now. Presently, they’re at the off-again end of things but with some friends-with-bennies thrown in. It’s pretty clear that Ringo is stooopidly head over heals for Gavin, pines for him, and will do anything for him. Including taking his verbal abuse.

And Gavin has serious anger management issues.

“when Ringo got near the cracks in the shell Gavin had built around himself, Gavin chased him away like a junkyard dog… had a miserable fucking temper… could lash out… it hurt a lot to love a man like that.”

So, for the first half of the story I wasn’t feeling Gavin, he got on my last nerve with his continuous bad temper. His bum knee is no excuse either, apparently he was just as selfish, crotchety, mean-spirited and abusive before his operation.

It must be Gavin’s mad musician skillz that has Ringo wrapped around his finger. Gavin inhabits the troubled blues musician persona effortlessly. Otherwise, I just don’t get it. Oh, well, the sex is good too. But is that enough?

There are several catalysts mid-story that jar the guys out of their sex-is-great/communication-is-lousy stupidity stupor. Gavin’s beloved dog, Bird (after the famed jazz musician, Charlie Parker, of course), goes missing and this sends both guys into a tailspin. About the same time, Ringo lays down a ‘New World Order’ to Gavin: Ringo’s not gonna take his shit anymore, Gavin will take responsibility for his actions, and he’s will get some help with the anger. Ringo also insists on taking Gavin home for a big Christmas eve party and to meet the fams. All this while wearing himself out trying to find the lost pooch. Basically, Ringo takes care of everyone else but himself…

So, things start cooking about half-way in. Gavin is welcomed by Ringo’s loving and supportive family and we start to find out why Gavin has those trust and abandonment issues, why he has to test anyone who gets too close.

What I like about the story is that it’s about an ethnic couple, both men are Latino and regular guys. I also like the musical references, and the setting. The author nicely portrays the place, and the secondary characters have just enough color and interest. I really liked Ringo’s family, would have liked to spend more time with them. They accept him for who he is and love and support him. You can almost see the lightbulb go off in Gavin when he sees Ringo with his family.

The author intends a turn-around for Gavin, a love conquers all demons trope, but it’s a bit fast and facile coming at the end especially after some more serious bashing by him. Given that, there is a hopeful ending. After being lost for so long, it looks like Ringo may have gotten through to Gavin. The end is really the beginning, though, there’s a lot of work to be done between these two guys. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for sweet Ringo.

It’s Christmas after all, and hope springs eternal.

(Note: Lost and Found is part of the 2013 Riptide holiday anthology, Home For the Holidays)

RATING: