Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE:  Ambiguous

SERIES:  IOU, Book 1

AUTHOR:  Leslie McAdam

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  302 pages

RELEASE DATE:  April 13, 2022

BLURB:

Love is for other people, not for me.

At least that’s what I believed, until I met him.

Julian Hill.

The most famous rock star on the planet. A music god with untidy hair and the voice of an angel.

I’ll never be anything but out, and he has very good reasons to stay in the closet.

After all, every move he makes is dissected, critiqued, and posted on social media, so he just wants a little privacy.

I understand that. Truly.

But no one makes me feel the way he does, and I’m pretty sure he has feelings for me as well.

Which is inconvenient since his record label hired me to sue him.

I should’ve sorted things out before I kissed him.

Oops.

Ambiguous is a forbidden mm rock star romance about a fashion-forward singer who hates labels of all kinds (except for clothing), a dapper attorney who already has a (fake) boyfriend for a very good reason, and the possibility of love saving the day.

REVIEW: 

Leslie McAdam’s Ambiguous is the first book in her new M/M romance series, IOU.   I loved Ms. McAdams’ first foray into the M/M genre last year with Undone, which landed on my Best of 2021 List.  She promises great things with the compelling hook for Ambiguous.  It features, international, mega rock star Julian Hill who is a lonely, very private man who dares not to conform to society’s expectations about his personal life or sexuality. Jules falls for Sam Stone, an adorkable lawyer ironically hired to “browbeat” Jules into fulfilling his record contract. Sam is mild-mannered and supportive and his approach to “browbeating” is hand-holding, sweet texts, and sharing space with Jules while delivering bright smiles and kind words. 

Blond hair, blue-eyed, bow tie and suspenders-wearing Sam just wants to do pro bono work to fight for LGBTQ+ causes.  He’s the grandson of one of the most powerful politicians in California, who is now running for Governor.  Sam sacrifices his own needs and desires in order to live up to the attendant expectations, especially as the “token gay” man in the family.  

Jules is a rock god who is exceptionally kind, respectful and grateful to everyone he encounters, especially his fans. Yet we see that he has some demons. He is lonely and has isolated himself because he wants to hold his authentic self private. He also has a checkered past he’d like to shield from public consumption. His brother Colin is more of a burden than a loved sibling, and their shared childhood involved living as orphans with Julian bearing the mantle of responsibility. Jules feels guilt from the circumstances of his stardom and his brother Colin begrudges him for his success. 

Jules and Sam are total opposites in appearance and demeanor yet are like yin and yang in terms of their emotions, personality, and values. Notably, both men put others ahead of themselves.  Falling in love is a novelty for both of them.  Love is not something they contemplated or believed would happen to them.  

Ambiguous’ story is low-angst, yet has enough emotional dynamics to prevent the storyline from feeling flat. Jules and Sam are the key to this story and Ms. McAdam does an excellent job with them. They both have an air of ambiguity about them, but Julian, in particular, blurs the lines concerning his sexuality and his gender conformity much to the public’s consternation. He refuses to label himself or put himself in a box, yet at the same time Sam points out that Julian’s public identification can help young LGBTQ+ who are struggling.

Which raises the question of what we owe other people?  Why do we need to label?  Why do we need to make our identities unambiguous to the world?  This is a particularly acute issue for public figures like Julian and Sam. The world believes they are entitled to know everything, but are they?  Is that the price of fame? Ms. McAdam poses those interesting questions and examines how both men are taken advantage of by those who claim to love them: ex-boyfriends, brothers, employers, record labels, the voting public, and rabid music fans.   

I thoroughly enjoyed Jules and Sam’s romantic and emotional journeys. They are adorable together, and you can’t help but root for their improbable relationship.  I lament, however, the squandered opportunity to make this great story into a superb story. Generally speaking, things felt too black and white, too easy, while shades of gray would have been more engaging. For example, the relationship between Jules and his brother Colin is critical to the plot and yet felt ancillary. We barely scratch the surface of their history and relationship.  The political subplot and Sam’s family’s adamant demand that Sam fake a relationship for political gain deserve more attention, as do the complexities of his relationship with his mother, father, and grandfather. Instead, these subplots are resolved quickly and unsatisfactorily. Additionally, the side characters feel a bit characature-ish, although they work well for their roles. 

Lest you think I didn’t like Ambiguous, I will unambiguously state that notwithstanding my criticisms, Ambiguous is a sweet romance I recommend. The core relationship between Jules and Sam is wholly absorbing. I can see myself rereading this book because I felt so strongly connected to Jules and Sam.  Additionally, the overarching framework of the story is sweet, fun and enjoyable.  It may leave you wanting more, but that doesn’t detract from the overall enjoyment of the lovely story that is told.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS: 

Amazon