Reviewed by Jess
TITLE: A San Francisco Romance: The Story of Ryan and Leland
AUTHOR: Brandon Carlisle
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 356 pages
RELEASE DATE: June 8, 2018
BLURB:
It is 1974 and it has been seven years since Ryan McClure moved to San Francisco from the sleepy East Bay. Moving to the city was to be a new start for him. Leaving regrets and sadness behind he moved to the city to be a free man. Free to be gay, free to choose his own path in life. Seven years later the bright shine of the city had tarnished and left him lonely. No relationship, no boyfriend of any kind, left him with only contentment for the life he had. Lucky to find a job he loved working in The Exeter House on Nob Hill. It was the finest hotel in the city. A good boss, and a small circle of friends he occasionally went out with was his life now, and quiet evenings at home were his life. The disco scene had pounced on the city, and dance bars sprouted up like weeds. Not a great dancer, and definitely not into casual hookups left him with the desire to stay home and read a book.
Little did he know that a simple lunch with friends, and a brief look at the new owner of the hotel would present a challenge he was not sure he was ready for.
Leland Carter’s adult life was centered around responsibility. First was the business degree from Harvard, second was assuming control of the family business. Never one to shirk responsibility, Leland never considered a personal life, and relationships were out of the question. A dalliance here and there, or an escort were not out of the question, but committing to a relationship was never considered.
His purchase of The Exeter House gave him the opportunity to hold onto one of the most cherished memories of his youth. While exploring the city once he completed business a spur of the moment desire to have a drink was about to send him on a journey that would unravel years of habits that kept him safe and secure. Being open and flirting with a bartender was unusual for Leland, but one glance down the bar at the striking man with the copper hair sent a jolt of reality as to what was lacking in his life.
Two people with widely different backgrounds and values are thrown together. Personal fears and challenges need to be overcome if they are to have any semblance of happiness.
There is romance, tenderness, some explicit sex, and the story takes place during the rise of the gay movement in San Francisco.
REVIEW:
There’s so much rich history in 1970’s San Francisco that it makes me wonder why more historical fiction doesn’t take place there. Of course, it was a tumultuous time for gay folks, but it was also one of love and community and culture. Ryan and Leland’s love story takes place on the lush, fun backdrop of San Francisco in 1974, where Gloria Gaynor played at the clubs and Stoli martinis were the drink of choice. They share their struggles as they fall in love, but despite a wonderful setting, this story is too long and too dragging.
Ryan McClure, a shy, red-headed purchasing assistant at the luxurious Exeter House, wants real love, not a string of empty hookups. His search abruptly ends when he’s instantly smitten with Leland Carter, the wealthy owner of the hotel who is staying in town to oversee remodels. The two men are meant to be, and as they fall deeper for one another, they deal with nosy friends, class differences, and rushing into things too fast.
There’s a lot of room for drama here, but unfortunately, the plot itself is dull. Small conflicts are wrapped up in one paragraph with a kiss and an endearment, and even things that should be more dramatic, like Sebastian’s unrequited love for Leland, are swept away without much ado. These characters never face any real trouble. Their love may conquer anything, but where’s the fun in that? And though they have good, easy chemistry, the dialogue isn’t great. The characters speak stiffly without their own personal touches, and they never seem to use contractions for speech shortenings. And the constant use of corny endearments was a little much.
Despite the issues I had with the love interests, the real main character in this book is San Francisco itself. Carlisle was a young man in the city in the 1970s, so he’s obviously pulling from his own knowledge and memory, and it shows. I have never been to San Francisco, but I feel transported on every page, from the descriptions of local food to the nooks and crannies of gay life. I began to see a map in my head of all the streets and locations, which is hard to do through description alone. There’s a real affection for the city that jumps off every page.
I wasn’t as grounded in the time as I was in the place, though. Sometimes the characters spoke like aristocrats from the 1920s, and other times they spoke like they were modern college students. The hotel staff were so formal it was like watching an episode of Downton Abbey, yet the widespread acceptance of gay people and relationships felt way too modern, even for San Francisco. There were also little things, like at-home answering machines (my family couldn’t even afford one in 1999) and bottled water in dive bars that just didn’t mesh with the 1970s. I trust Carlisle’s personal experiences, but sometimes, it is hard to translate those into believable fiction.
I can’t say I fell in love with these characters and the plot, but the setting is so vivid that the journey was often enjoyable. Carlisle’s writing needs a little more polish and editing before it can really glow.
RATING: 
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