Reviewed by Dan
This is a Series Review of the Teen Romance Series (Books 1 & 2)
AUTHOR: Mark Zubro
PUBLISHER: MLR Press
SERIES REVIEW:
I really enjoyed these two books in, what I hope, is going to be a continuing series. Mr. Zubro brings us to a new mystery series targeted more at Young Adults, featuring high school students, murders, and who-done-its. I loved both books.
I think I empathized with “Safe” slightly higher because of its handling of the death of Kyle. I guess I felt more of a connection to that one because of the sad life of Kyle and what happened to him. The more we got to know Kyle’s story, the sadder it was.
I’m happy to say that “Hope” is as good as “Safe”. Many times sequels aren’t of the same caliber, but not in this case. I’ve had friends over the years who were “thrown out” like trash because they were gay. And conversion therapy? Can’t believe we still have to discuss it in 2015.
The subjects in either of these books could have been plucked from headlines. I loved both books and hope you do as well.
SERIES RATING: 
TITLE: Safe
LENGTH: 208 Pages
BLURB:
In an unsafe world, death and danger stalk gay teens, Roger Cook and Steve Koemer.
Roger Cook is in the middle of his senior year when Kyle Davis, the most picked on kid in his high school commits suicide. Roger agrees to write an article on Kyle for the school newspaper. As he gathers information, Roger realizes the dead boy was gay and may have been murdered. Gay himself, Roger wants to find out the truth, but this leads him to danger and the possibility of love. Roger opens himself to even greater risk while trying to make those around him safe.
REVIEW:
Roger Cook is an athlete, who also is amongst the smartest kids in his class, and works on the school newspaper. Up until now Roger has always handled the athletic write-ups, but never anything beyond that.
That changes one morning when word gets around school that Kyle Davis, the most picked on guy in town has been found dead, hanging in the orange groves, and that it has been ruled a suicide.
Roger doesn’t remember much about Kyle but does remember seeing him bullied and disregarded by the majority of the school. Roger also remembers a story of why Kyle never rode the bus, but instead walked all the way to school and home. On his first day of school, some kids tore off his pants and underwear and threw them out the window. By the time the bus driver paid attention, they were way down the road and Kyle was left naked from the waist down. After that sort of humiliation who would ride the bus? Not me!
Darlene, Roger’s friend and also the editor of the school paper, tasks Roger with writing an article on Kyle for the school paper, but as he begins his research he starts to get more and more puzzled. It turns out Kyle had no friends…zero…and the only people who had a nice thing to say about him were the owner, and his daughter, of a local pet store where Kyle worked part time. While questioning other students about Kyle’s death he got answers like “who cares, he was a fag, and he is dead.”
Next Roger visits the scene of the suicide where he meets a news reporter from the local newspaper. Bill Singleton was once a major player in the news industry, but now is past his prime and relegated to the less than stellar articles. Singleton feels that Kyle was killed. The clues are all there…multiple foot prints…a step ladder, rope, but no way to get them there?
Of course no one believe Roger and Bill. The suicide is too cut and dried. When Roger starts asking too many questions around school, he is outed by someone who only suspects he is gay. Roger told his best friend Jack and also Darlene, but no one else knew. Then Bert, another kid on the paper, a spoiled entitled rich kid, starts to suspect Roger might be gay. After he confronts Roger, lying and saying Jack told him, Roger doesn’t deny it. Overnight Roger is outed to the entire school.
Around the same time, Roger starts to notice a guy named Steve that has been working on the paper with him for years, but they’ve never spoken more than a word or two. Has Steve’s butt always looked that good in tight jeans?
Along the way there are some violent beatings, Roger’s parents threaten therapy, a party at Bert’s house goes disastrously wrong, and we find out just how homophobic Roger’s school is. When Roger and Steve are captured by the bad guys, and beaten, is there any hope? Will the mystery of Kyle’s death ever be solved?
I loved this book. It seemed to me to portray a good example of how all high schools in America don’t fit into the “Glee” format. Gay kids in America don’t sing and dance up the hallways, even today. I really enjoyed the mystery, and honestly didn’t figure out the “who done it” part until the very end of the book! I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for what I would consider a YA Mystery dealing with extreme homophobia, fear, and coming out.
RATING: 4.5
BUY LINKS:
TITLE: Hope
LENGTH: 216 Pages
BLURB:
Coming out and family-not supposed to be a lethal combination.
Roger Cook and Steve Koemer have been dating. Their world is turned upside down when Steve’s father and mother find out he’s gay and throw him out of the house. Then the ugliness and fear begin to build. Steve’s father is murdered. The Church he was pastor of was in financial trouble, but the man was also involved in a plot against the two boys. A plot which was designed to destroy their relationship and which continues even after his death. The boys must race to find out who the killer is and who is plotting against them. When the whole world seems against them, they have the hope of their love to sustain them.
REVIEW:
An excellent sequel to Safe. Mark has done a great job giving us the story of what happens next to Roger and Steve. Of course our other favorite characters, Jack, Darlene and Bill Singleton are back, plus some new characters as well. I really liked the two over the top gay boys, Marty and Bryce…I’ve got some friends who could easily have been the models for these two. Sometimes over the top isn’t a bad thing!
Poor Steve. His parents are those ultra conservative evangelicals you all see on the news. You know the type, hate everyone who isn’t an evangelical, gays are going to hell type people. The ones where the pastor usually has a private jet, an over the top mansion and tons of money. Or if they don’t they come out with the “God will call me home if y’all don’t send in at least a dollar by next Thursday” comments. Imagine growing up gay in that sort of family!
Steve walks in one night, after a date with Roger, to find his parents ranting in the living room. Harold from next door has given them photos of Roger and Steve kissing in a car. When Steve says he is love with Roger, he is told to leave and never return. His parents didn’t know he was gay until this point.
So Steve calls Roger and long story short, after talking to Roger’s parents Steve goes to their house to stay. Luckily that happened, because in the small hours of that same night, Steve’s father is killed and hung on the cross in his own church!
That sets off another great mystery, the resolution of which we don’t find out until the very end of the book. Mr. Zubro is great at stringing us along with a mystery, and giving us false leads which lead us to suspect others along the way. I kind of had my suspicions this time and I was correct, but I could easily have been wrong.
Along the way we find out the rotten core of the church and the infighting between different groups within it. It doesn’t come down to who had a motive to kill Steve’s father, it comes down to who had the biggest motive! Can Steve and Roger stay ahead of the people who are trying to get them? What is up with the creepy police detectives? And why does Harold seem to hate them so much? Why does Steve’s Mom want him back all of a sudden? All these little sub-plots kept me reading and I couldn’t put it down until I finished!
I really liked this two book YA series. I’m not sure if we’ll get more about Roger and Steve and their host of friends in these books, but I know that I would still like to see what happens next!
RATING: 4.5
BUY LINKS: