Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: Mild to Wild in Massachusetts
SERIES: States of Love
AUTHOR: Paul Walkingsky
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 74 pages
RELEASE DATE: April 12, 2017
BLURB:
Brett has spent twenty-seven years trying to be perfect for the Mormon grandparents who raised him. Unfortunately, doing so has meant missing out on lots of life experiences—and denying a major part of who he is. Now that his grandparents are gone, Brett is ready to make up for lost time, break out of the sedate façade he’s always presented, and do something he would have never considered before: attend a gay men’s spiritual retreat in rural Massachusetts. While trying to infuse some spice into his life with workshops like Erotic Massage, Body Painting, and Drag 101, Brett meets Boston nurse Karl, and it’s hard to deny the connection between them. But will Brett’s lack of experience and Karl’s insecurities end their romance before it can really begin? It might be a spiritual retreat, but Brett must learn to embrace his physical reality if he’s going to grab on to his chance at love. States of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the United States.
REVIEW:
I have become fascinated with the genre of Mormon gay men and this was a nice, sweet one.
Brett is living a lie. A lie he kept to protect his grandparents. The same grandparents that raised him since he was a baby. They were Mormon in a small town outside of Salt Lake City. Not an easy place to come out as gay. But his grandparents are no longer alive and he can now safely explore his options and decide what comes next. He has been the good Mormon grandson for so long and now he is going, at the suggestion of his Aunt’s best friend…a drag queen, to a gay men’s spiral retreat. “Mild to Wild in Massachusetts” is the story of what happens when Brett finally ventures out and discovers what his true feelings and thoughts are without fear of retribution from the church and his fellow townspeople.
Being gay in the Mormon church is very frowned upon, in fact coming out will get you ex-communicated. Poor Brett, all he wants is someone to love him and not leave him. His mom did that and he never outgrew that loss.
I loved how the author treated Brett’s stumbles at the retreat. This is a young man that is finally taking a step forward. But it wasn’t in his nature to just jump in feet first. He had always been cautious and mindful of his place and the people that surrounded him. That just doesn’t change overnight.
I would love if this was a start to a series because I found it to be interesting and engaging. I would love to know what happens next in his life…where does he go from here. I also really liked the incorporation of Native American sayings and beliefs woven into the story.
This was a nice sweet coming-of-age story. If you are looking for wild, hot sex then this is not the book. But if you are looking for a nice, feel good book then I recommend this one.
RATING: 
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