Xylophone By KZ Snow

Published By: Dreamspinner Press

Published: Dec 12, 2012 

Xylophone by KZ Snow opens with 26 year-old Dare, who is starting a new part-time job as a clarinet player in a polka band known as Bouncing Bob's Polka Doodles. He and his fellow Doodles, good-natured guys in their fifties and sixties, play a dance hall where Dare notices 24 year-old Jonah, who has taken his beloved grandmother dancing. 

The two young men experience an electric moment of mutual attraction. But when they get a chance to talk, Dare receives an unpleasant surprise. Jonah remembers seeing Dare briefly years ago in a therapist's office at a support group for victims of sexual abuse. 

This revelation knocks Dare off-balance. Though he has a loving family, he has never come to terms with the exploitation he suffered during adolescence by a manipulative pedophile. This experience motivated him to try to reclaim and rework his sexual identity by performing in his main job as an exotic dancer in a sleazy club.

Jonah, who is more innocent (and more damaged) than Dare is, suggests that they continue to meet and seek healing by sharing their stories. Dare isn't so optimistic that this will work, but is too smitten by Jonah to refuse. They could have friendship and much more if they can tread carefully through the emotional minefield of their experiences. 

My summary makes this beautiful love story sound heavy, but it isn't. While presenting the horror of sexual abuse in scenes of subtle anguish, the book manages to do justice to such a serious theme while balancing it with an overall tone of hope, humor, and love. Add to this the wonderful chemistry between our two resilient heroes and much humor, especially centered on Dare's cranky but supportive fellow Doodles.

The book itself is narrated through the single third-person viewpoint of Dare, except when Dare and Jonah share their stories with each other. Then it switches to clearly marked (name and date) sections that alternate our heroes' first-person viewpoints. Experiencing the scenes rather than receiving them through monologs puts the reader right there. The scenes have a feeling of darkness and corruption, as well as some profound insights into how sexual predators manipulate children. But the scenes are not gratuitous, nor are they likely to trigger anybody's issues. 

The beautiful writing - clear, minimalist, and yet lyrical - makes me want to quote almost every sentence. (The description of Bob's accordion is worth the price of the book alone.) The author's sense of humor and love of words is exhilarating. You can't go wrong with Xylophone. It's right up there with KZ Snow's best books such as Mongrel, The Zero Knot, and Electric Melty Tingles. I highly recommend it.

Recommended Reads

Day of the Dead by Erik Orrantia is more gay fiction than gay romance, but it has much to offer romance readers. Its strengths include smooth writing, a vivid sense of Mexico, and a deeply emotional tone ranging

 from longing to renewed hope. The interracial-multicultural love story centers on Joe, an American who mourns the loss of his lover Arturo, a Mexican illegal who disappeared while crossing the border. Joe has no love interest in the present day, but he does have friends and employees who depend on him.

Present day chapters in Joe's third-person viewpoint show his struggle to build a new life alone. Past chapters in Arturo's first-person viewpoint show the evolution of their loving relationship as well as the events that separated them forever. The two men face some realistic challenges such as Joe's workaholic nature, and Arturo's possible alcoholism, which was worsened by loneliness and cultural isolation. Despite Arturo's tragic fate, his overall tone is serene and filled with hope. Meanwhile, Joe's interactions with the vivid supporting characters are engaging and realistic. In any other month, this book would have been a Top Pick for me.

The story opens in San Francisco with Joe, who is working way too hard at the Mexican restaurant he started with Arturo. The years have passed since Arturo disappeared while trying to cross the border from Mexico back into the USA, and Joe knows in his heart that Arturo is dead. Meanwhile, as the Day of the Dead approaches, he struggles to keep up with his day-to-day life, which includes mentoring the restaurant cook Chava, a troubled gay teenage cholo whom he and Arturo regard as a son.

La Posada by Kate Roman is the third short story in her Los Ranchos series, but you can read it as a stand-alone. It centers on Clay Garcia, a twenty-two year old Mexican-American man who is heir to his family's large ranch in 

California. Clay is involved in a secret sexual relationship with Warshaw, an Anglo cowboy twice his age - so, if you like interracial-multicultural romances with a significant age gap, check this out. 

Their relationship teeters intriguingly between being sex-buddies and committed lovers. A story this short doesn't have room to resolve the relationship fully, but it does include a hot sex scene and some vivid cultural details. Occasional phrases are in Spanish, which I don't speak, but the author includes subtle hints to help readers guess the context.

The story opens with Clay's family hosting a huge gathering, which includes the traditional "la posada" re-enactment of the Holy Family trying to find lodging at Bethlehem. The relatives pester Clay about when he will choose a steady girlfriend. Meanwhile, he longs for Warshaw, who is away on travel. That night, Warshaw shows up and the two men have a sexy encounter in the barn. They fear getting caught by Clay's family, but it becomes obvious to both that their affair is turning into a real romance.

The Long Way Home by ZA Maxfield is a rerelease of one of the most popular gay romances of 2008. If, like me, you missed reading it the first time around, you have a second chance now. The book alternates two third-person viewpoints and features the author's usual strong points: flawless writing, a glamorous southern California setting, and hot sex scenes.

The paranormal aspect of the story is wisely kept to a minimum. The psychic main character can touch objects and pick up visions of the missing people to whom they belonged. This causes him to suffer overwhelming vertigo and nausea, which keeps his experience grounded in physical reality. The mystery itself is easy to figure out, but overall the book is a pleasant romantic read.

The story begins with Kevin, a former cop who developed psychic powers after a traumatic injury. His brother-in-law, as a cop, lures his back to California to work on a case involving young boys who have gone missing. Kevin is to assist Connor, a skeptical younger detective, Now, as the missing person case turns into a serial killer situation, Kevin realizes that he must protect Connor from evil in Connor's past, which links Connor to the case.

Where There's Smoke by LA Witt gives us the definitive alpha male character in Anthony, political campaign manager extraordinaire. Almost every romance author tries to write alpha males, and the ham-fisted result is usually obnoxious and smug as to be completely unattractive. But not Anthony. Sure, he is hard charging, strong-willed, poised, and self-confident. However, this is balanced by his intensity and vulnerability to Jesse. He is way too driven and emotionally committed to sit around smirking with amused detachment.  

Jesse's innocence and integrity make him a good counterpart to Anthony, and their chemistry is smoking hot. Both men show an appealing sense of humor in their interactions with super-competent assistant Ranya, and the political underpinning to the story is fascinating. The conflict centers on Jesse's obligation during his campaign to keep up appearances in a fake marriage to a troubled actress. As conflicts go, it felt more manufactured than organic to me, but the author does so masterful a job of building support for it that I couldn't help accepting it by the book's conclusion. Even the actress comes across as three-dimensional and understandable, if not exactly likable. 

The book opens in Anthony's first-person viewpoint as he reluctantly agrees to manage the campaign in Jesse's bid to become governor of California. The next chapter picks up in Jesse's first-person viewpoint, making it clear that both men are overwhelmingly attracted to each other. But their problems are numerous. First, each man doesn't know how the other feels. Second, they can't afford even the shadow of scandal while they are on the campaign trail and under scrutiny at all times.

Day of the Dead by Erik Orrantia

Forbidden Fruit by Edward Kendrick

Frostwick by Megan Derr

He is Worthy by Lisa Henry

Josh of the Damned Triple Feature by Andrea Speed

La Posada by Kate Roman

The Long Way Home by ZA Maxfield

Where There's Smoke by LA Witt

Xylophone by KZ Snow

Your Biggest Fan by Missy Welsh

Val Kovalin reads across most fiction and nonfiction genres, but likes m/m fiction best. Visit her Obsidian Bookshelf blog for short reviews and non-stop advice on reading and writing topics in the m/m genre.  Visit her website or blog for m/m resources lists and how-to articles. She has also published m/m gay romance fiction with Loose Id and Amber Allure. See her fiction page for details.