Author: Amanda C. Stone
Publisher: Self-Published
Pages/Word Count: 77 Pages
At a Glance: A solid first foray into the m/m genre
Blurb: It all started when Cole met Perry in a bar. Over three years they had some exciting adventures, and misadventures. The six stories included in this book are all about their journey from bar to wedding.
The Anniversary
Another cancellation of plans by his boyfriend forces Cole out to the neighborhood bar. Not long after arriving he meets Perry. Even as exciting as Perry is, he’s unsure how the night will end.
The Fight
Cole and Perry are struggling to make time for each other and constantly at each other’s throats. A fight to the death will decide who is right or wrong in their arguments. But Cole really doesn’t want to shoot Perry.
The Threesome
Deciding they want to spice up things in the bedroom, Perry wants to have a one-time threesome. Cole’s nervous and doesn’t want to ask any of their friends to join them. Perry finds the perfect solution.
The House
After two and a half years together, Cole and Perry want to buy a house. Once they find the perfect house, they get to spend their first morning together in their new space. Perry will have to help Cole decide which room is his favorite.
The Baby
Both Cole and Perry are exhausted. Taking care of a three month old is hard when she’s up all night and is always hungry. If only they could find where they put the bottle warmer.
The Wedding
Cole is ready to make his commitment to Perry life-long. After careful planning, they created the perfect event. What could possibly go wrong? If only Cole didn’t ask the same question.
Review: With her first novella, author Amanda C. Stone brings us two characters whose playful interactions and obvious love for each other is woven into a sweet romance presented in several short vignettes. Altogether, these chapters from Cole and Perry’s lives are like a roadmap of how the two men keep the passion alive in their relationship while finding a way to accept things about each other that often can derail a lasting partnership.
Perry is a self-employed accountant who works long hours and finds himself constantly having to cancel plans with his boyfriend, Cole. This leads to fighting and a dampening of what was once a healthy lust for each other. In an attempt to revive their passion, the boys indulge each other’s fantasies in the most playful and unique ways. But will it be enough to save their relationship?
The Adventures of Cole and Perry sets up each chapter by teasingly misleading the reader to believe one thing when in reality the opposite is true. This plot device of the bait and switch was well used and made some of the chapters, in particular, “The Threesome,” “The Fight” and “The Wedding” very clever and tongue in cheek. However, I would have liked to see the author change things up a bit in the other stories. I think making some of the stories more straightforward would have really highlighted the others, making them even funnier.
As for Cole and Perry, this novella highlighted Cole most effectively—this was really his story to tell and his voice was strong and very sweet. His worries about Perry and their commitment to each other produced one clever and hot encounter after another. I would have really enjoyed leaning more about Cole, his job and how he and Perry met and fell in love. While complete in themselves, I felt the stories would have been more cohesive if there had been a bit more back story and simple day-to-day living rather than so many stories ending in or highlighting a bedroom scene. The characters were so interesting I simply wanted to learn more about them.
The Adventures of Cole and Perry was a solid first foray into the m/m genre for Amanda C. Stone. I look forward to watching this author come into her own and develop her style and voice with each story she writes.
You can buy The Adventures of Cole and Perry here:
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