Cop Out by KC Burn

Cop Out by KC Burn  is one of those gay mystery / romantic novels and truth be told, I quite enjoyed it. The cover almost made me not to start the book, but in the end I figured I should give it a try; given the fact that I needed an easy read. It's not like I had enough of intelligent literature, but since I am single again, I needed a bit of fantasy. Oh man, this book had lost some points due to its cover. But, as the saying goes: don't judge a book by it's cover. This time the saying is spot on.

The book starts when two cops do a drug bust that turns bad. One dies and his partner survives. The surviving cop, a decent guy, is trying to connect with his former partner's family, during this process he finds out that his partner was not the man he thought it was. Actually, he finds out things about himself that he never expected. This is as much as you get from me about the storyline. I assure you that is pretty entertaining. At least it was for me, in my actual state of mind. 

The character development is decent by today's standards. It's not as complex as any of the Crazy Russian Authors', but it is a whole lot better than other books. The dialogues are fast paced and seem genuine, not forced or written in haste. The inner workings of the main character are accurate and the sex scenes are hot. They were a lot hotter and more detailed than... 50 shades of Grey; and I am not saying that just because of the gay sex. 

For an erotic novel, I found it lacking that much eroticism. There are a few scenes here and there, but the story as a whole was much more interesting than the sex bits. I'd say it's more of a romance, than an erotic novel. So, if you're gay or bi, it is a good read. If you're straight, and a man, then the cover is a clear indicator that it's not for you. If you're a fag-hag, then MAYBE you'd enjoy it.

Mistakes and Ladders by Pip McCormac

Oh man, where should I begin... Mistakes and Ladders was spot on what gay life is all about for most men: promiscuity, drugs, drinking until wasted, clubs, innumerable dates, discounted designer clothes, insecurity and lots of drama. Hell... Been there done that, apart from the drugs bit - it has never been my style. 

This book retells all the failed relationships and dates of the author. He even brings to the table his drug addiction and how his friends staged an intervention for his sorry ass. Always looking for "the one" he kept dating guys and making himself believing that each one is the one he'll marry and be his husband. He played the game and, in the gay world, very few people manage to actually find what they are looking for (reasoning that they know what they are looking for). It's a jungle out there and it's every man for himself.

This quote reminded me how shallow this world is and at some level I still am part of it: "In the morning he made me a cup of tea and we watched a bit of TV in bed. In gay terms, it felt like getting engaged." Yeah, we live fast and outside of the society's norms but deep down, everyone at least has thought about finding that special someone. To contradict myself here is another quote: "Anyone you take home will have slept with your old one at some point. There are only so many of us to go around - this is a fact of gay math." Sadly it is so, due to the fact that once you get into a scene and you're still looking to find a man, you probably end up shagging someone who shagged your ex or your ex's ex before you. Just imagine the complications and the drama.

This book is a gay version of Sex and the city, where the main character embodies all of those bitches' traits. Realizing that I had actually seen the series and the movie makes me cringe. Anyway, this is a book about gay life in UK and it's somewhat funny and thought provoking at times. I wouldn't call it "a must read", but it is OK enough to give a bit of insight of how gay men are besides Queer as Folk and Modern family.

Happy Together: 500 Things to do for and with your sweetheart by Ken Shafer

If you are romantic and like lists, this is the book for you. This is a very easy to go through book and, given my experience with the former one, I had quite enjoyed myself. Out of the 500 pieces of advice 25% will not apply to you, maybe even more, but it's Saturday morning and I am feeling generous. "Why not?" you might ask. Maybe you don't have kids, or maybe you don't own a car, or maybe you have no musical talent whatsoever, or maybe you don't own a pet.

Besides the 500 suggestions the book has some cute and funny graphics, relating to some of the recommendations. To give you some idea of what this book is about, here are some quotes:

No.20 Openly recognize the fact that your sweetheart is intelligent.
No.30 Play a board game together.

No.158 Let your sweetheart spend time with his friends.
No.159 Make a list of plans for the future.

No.408 Take part in a festival together. 

If you are in a relationship and never thought of doing some of these things with your significant other,  you really have a problem as an individual and as a couple. The suggestions in this book are common sense and you should take this book more as a "to-do list" than as a study book. You don't have anything to learn from this book, but it might remind you of certain things you wanted to do and forgot because of your busy life (e.g. work and other problems that might make your relationship monotonous). 

My suggestion is: read it together and mark the things you want to do with and for your sweetheart. It will remind you that being a couple is not just about house chores and watching TV together. This was a pleasant read for me, so give it a go.