Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Songs of A Red Currant Wine
SERIES: Colors of Love #6
AUTHOR: V L Locey
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 217 Pages
RELEASE DATE: March 31, 2021
BLURB:
No matter how far you go love will always lead you home again.
The world has changed quite a bit since Carl Cimino was a young man in Port Plechard. The small Connecticut coastal town once had everything that he held dear: his family, his friends, his hockey team, his school, and his first love, Mike Rinnert. Back then gay boys didn’t parade along the rocky shores in bright rainbow swim trunks. They hid their shame then moved away or married a nice girl and pretended to be happy. After a dismal marriage attempt and a lackluster playing career that ended with an equally unsatisfying coaching job, Carl is called back to Port Plechard to attend Mike’s funeral and swears that he’s just seen a ghost.
Either that or he’s had one too many sips of his father’s homemade wine. He soon discovers that the spirit hovering around Mike’s grave isn’t a phantom at all, it’s Tigh, Mike’s much younger brother. Tigh is nearly an exact replica of young Mike right down to his dark sensual eyes, wavy hair, and lips that beg to be kissed. The two men are drawn to each other immediately, but there’s more than one hurdle to overcome: a sizeable age difference, small-town gossip, personal demons, family problems, and a hurricane just to name a few.
REVIEW:
Fifty-five-year-old Carl yearns. He was born in a time when being gay was taboo. His repressed way of living has made his life a lie. He is divorced, broke, owes his ex-wife money for his step-son’s education, smokes, and finds solace in the bottom of a bottle. The last time he was happy was as a teenager with his first love Mike. Returning to his hometown to attend Mike’s funeral also hinders his state of mind. However, when he sees Tigh, he believes he sees an apparition because Tigh is the young Mike’s spitting image. Despite the thirty-year + difference in their ages and the mutual attraction, Carl backs off. But, Tigh is persistent in his pursuance of Carl.
Songs of A Red Currant Wine is a sweet story told in the first person, from Carl’s viewpoint. Initially, it seems as though Carl is a loser, with no redeeming qualities other than his caustic view of himself. His conversations with his destructive inner voice, called Julian, gave a unique picture of proceedings and an insight into how his mother put him down as a youth. As far as storytelling goes, Carl is deliciously flawed, living in fear of other’s reactions to his sexuality.
Tigh is twenty-three and spent time in the army and Cambodia. I was Concerned that Tigh seemed a bit young to have accomplished all that he had, so I checked the minimum age for signing up, which is seventeen. The timeline fits. Tigh is pansexual with a range of experience under his belt, who also suffers from PTSD. The age difference didn’t bother me – there are some lovely older men out there, and I remember my crushes. But I still flailed on the edge of him being too young for the experienced role he was supposed to fill.
The first half of the book follows Carl’s descent to the dregs of his bottle, and it isn’t pretty. I was at a point where I was about to give up on Carl, and wondered where the story was going, when the tale became one of hope, rebuilding, and liberation. Having every feeling, he’s ever had, repressed – I felt for Carl.
Quick shout out here for Carl’s father, who is a scene-stealer.
I found Songs of A Red Currant Wine to be one of those stories where the reader goes on a journey with the character. There is amusing phrasing, and by the end, I felt educated. My emotions didn’t get a huge workout, and for me, it wasn’t a must-read till midnight either. But, for those who like real-life scenarios and people who work their way up after hitting rock bottom you will love it – hence the good-read rating.
RATING: 
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