Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: King Perry
SERIES: The Lost and Founds #1
AUTHOR: Edmond Manning
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 343 pages
BLURB:
In a trendy San Francisco art gallery, out-of-towner Vin Vanbly witnesses an act of compassion that compels him to make investment banker Perry Mangin a mysterious offer: in exchange for a weekend of complete submission, Vin will restore Perry’s “kingship” and transform him into the man he was always meant to be. Despite intense reservations, Perry agrees, setting in motion a chain of events that will test the limits of his body, seduce his senses, and fray his every nerve, (perhaps occasionally breaking the law) while Vin guides him toward his destiny as “the one true king.” Even as Perry rediscovers old grief and new joys within himself, Vin and his shadowy motivations remain enigmas: who is this offbeat stranger guiding them from danger to hilarity to danger? To emerge triumphant, Perry must overcome the greatest challenge alone: embracing his devastating past. But can he succeed by Sunday’s sunrise deadline? How can he possibly evolve from an ordinary man into King Perry? A Bittersweet Dreams title: It’s an unfortunate truth: love doesn’t always conquer all. Regardless of its strength, sometimes fate intervenes, tragedy strikes, or forces conspire against it. These stories of romance do not offer a traditional happy ending, but the strong and enduring love will still touch your heart and maybe move you to tears.
REVIEW:
I had the opportunity to meet Edmund Manning while attending Gay Romance Northwest. My good friend I was attending with made sure that I met the man who explained, in depth, how he researched his books, with great detail, in the session she attended. I have no doubt that the places mentioned in this novel are not only real, but have been visited by the author. After a conversation, I agreed to read and review his Lost and Found series.
Let me start out with, I am a reader who needs her HEA. I have never been a bittersweet reader. I am also not a quitter. I did not realize that this series is, in deed, bittersweet. This book was a huge challenge for me. At one point I finally wrote to the author because I was close to DNF. I was 40% into the book and I admitted to him that I didn’t have a clue what I was reading. I even compared myself to the character Perry in the novel. I am typically a very logical, math minded person. I don’t do fantasy and sci-fi well at all. I once told an author that I could only grasp shifter novels because I had been forced to see the Twilight films with my daughter when she was younger. He actually growled at me for even mentioning those in in correlation to his books. After a long discussion he finally got that I am a visual learner and had to “see” a shifting, no matter how he didn’t like the reference, so I could grasp the concept. I think that is why I was so “lost” in this book. I wasn’t getting the whole King Weekend premise. The author told me that my reactions and confusion was not at all uncommon. He told me that he is always welcoming to his readers when they reach out to him and that he is more than happy to talk to them and discuss their questions and concerns. He just hoped that I, like Perry, would stick out the weekend and then give my honest thoughts. That was all he desired. Put this on top of recovering from a nasty eye strain and I would say, with all honesty, that this was a long, tough, sometimes grueling read but I did finish it. I was proud of myself when I read the last page! Was this my typical type of read? No, it wasn’t. Did it push my buttons and make me uncomfortable because I was confused and uncertain, at times, to what I was reading? A Giant Yes!!! Am I glad that I stuck it out? Yes, I am. Even though this did not have the HEA I need in a book. Even though I felt a bit book drunk when I finished. Even though I didn’t always get what he was talking about or what why a part was there, at the time, I am so very glad I punched through to the end. I don’t have the mental baggage that Perry carried with him but I did strongly identify with his character. Vin was just as confusing to me as he was to Perry but I still wanted him to have his HEA. I am hoping that both his and Perry’s HEA’s come through somewhere in the later novels in the series.
Can I recommend this book? Yes, but with a warning. You need to go in open minded and know that Vin is going to twist you up, confuse you and irritate you all the time but I believe it is worth the ride if you can finish the adventure. I believe it was for Perry. This novel made me work for it, which is pretty uncommon and risky but I think it is worth your risk. Just don’t give up the challenge because I believe it is worth the journey to make it to the end.
RATING: 
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