Title: His Two Leading Men
Author: Aidan Wayne
Publisher: Amazon/Kindle Unlimited
Length: 169 Pages
Category: Contemporary
At a Glance: While this was not my favorite of Wayne’s work so far, I will definitely continue to follow them and see what’s coming next! The biggest plus for me was definitely the characters themselves.
Reviewed By: Jules
Blurb: Broadway star Skye’s whole life is an act.
On the surface, he’s living the New York Dream – acclaimed by critics for his stunning debut, playing to packed audiences every night.
They don’t know the truth.
Battling crippling anxiety, every show is a struggle for Skye. Only one thing gives him the courage to step into the spotlight every performance – the steady, calming support of costumer Russell. But Skye can’t burden Russell with all his demons…
When wealthy patron Brent takes an interest in Skye, everything the actor knows is turned upside down. Charismatic and confident, Brent is everything Skye isn’t… and just what he needs. But how can he choose between gentle Russell and magnetic Brent? Russell means so much to him, but the chemistry between Skye and Brent is undeniable.
Or does he have to choose at all…?
Review: I’ve read two other books by Aidan Wayne that I really, really enjoyed. Their work is always unique and thought-provoking, with characters that are so diverse and represent so many different backgrounds, orientations, and facets of emotional and mental health and ability. So, when I saw the blurb for His Two Leading Men, Wayne’s new release about a polyamorous relationship, I was super intrigued to see what they would do with the premise and decided to take a shot on it. My feelings on the story ended up being kind of a mixed bag; there were things I enjoyed for sure, but there were also things that detracted from the overall quality of the story. I definitely learned some things, though, and took some good things away from the reading experience.
Skye is the center of the story. When we meet him, he’s starring in a new Broadway musical, that’s turning out to be a surprise hit, and though he seems to have it all together onstage, we learn that offstage, things are very different. When he’s not focused on performing, Skye has crippling anxiety that causes him to have extreme difficulty making decisions, makes him question his judgement and any decision he does manage to make, and has cost him relationships in the past. I liked Skye. There’s no doubt he was a big sweetheart, and I was one million percent rooting for him, but he came off as very immature (perhaps this was a byproduct of the major indecisiveness?), and though he was the central main character, he was, oddly, my least favorite of the three.
Russell and Brent, on the other hand? Yassss. They were both pretty fantastic. Russell was so, so nice. A former model turned costumer, he discovered that he enjoyed being behind the scenes much more, and while helping Skye with his quick-changes for the show, he falls for him. I loved how sincere Russell was. He just wanted to be with Skye, and I felt like he always had everyone’s best interests at heart. And then there was Brent, who I reeeeaaally adored. Brent is a wealthy businessman and theater enthusiast, who begins courting Skye after seeing him in the show. He honestly just wants to love and take care of Skye, which is actually very sweet. Skye definitely could not have lucked out more in the suitor department!
The biggest plus for me was definitely the characters themselves. But I also really appreciated what Wayne was trying to do with the relationship. I wish there were more books that explored poly and other types of relationships. I learned a lot from this story and ended up going and doing some other research on my own as well, just to get a better understanding. Also, Wayne did a nice job of showing how each person benefitted from the relationship, and why/how it worked so well for them. BUT—I felt like it was way rushed. We got virtually no on-page relationship development, and there was sooo much telling rather than showing, which was a giant bummer.
As always, your mileage may vary. I have already seen people leaving very positive feedback on Goodreads and other places. And, while this was not my favorite of Wayne’s work so far, I will definitely continue to follow them and see what’s coming next!
You can buy His Two Leading Men here:
[zilla_button url=”http://authl.it/B07JDK4BDV?d” style=”blue” size=”large” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Amazon/Kindle Unlimited [/zilla_button]
