Conventional Wisdom

Title: Conventional Wisdom
Author: TC Blue
Publisher: Torquere Books
Genre: M/M Contemporary romance
Length: 63 pages
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

A Guest Review by Jenre

THE BLURB

When B-list syndicated TV star Lucas runs into Gaming-goth-geek Trent in the hotel bar the night before the convention starts, he isn’t expecting to become attached. And since Trent is obviously out of touch with television, Lucas figures he’s safe using his ‘con name’, Bill Speare. When Trent– Mainstream Video clerk and goth with big dreams–meets a stellar hottie who seems to be into him, he goes with it, happy to be free of his recent dry spell.

But one night turns into so much more, and when he finds out that his very temporary lover has been lying to him about something as unimportant yet vital as his name, he gets… miffed. Thanks to a new acquaintance, Cindy Lou, Trent works through his anger in a drunken evening, and when he finally goes to see Bill –Lucas– he’s figured it all out.

So has Lucas, and the two men do what comes naturally to them, but can they come to an explosive and enjoyable conclusion?

THE REVIEW

Conventional Wisdom taps into two of my m/m favourites: A famous hero and a geeky goth hero.  How could I possibly resist?  Fortunately, it also turned out to have TC Blue’s usual light touch, great characterisation and interesting story.

We begin the story with our two heroes arriving at a sci-fi convention a day early.  Trent is there mainly to check out the new games which are being showcased at the convention and Lucas is there to sign autographs and meet the fans of his sci-fi TV show.  As an actor, Lucas is very much aware that image is everything and so hides behind a false name of Bill.  He meets Trent in the bar of the hotel and there’s an immediate attraction between them.  Lucas is even more delighted to discover that Trent has no idea who he is and the pair indulge in a weekend of great sex and the beginnings of a good friendship.

What I loved about this book was that it was one of those where I was convinced I was in for a huge ‘Big Misunderstanding’.  I spent most of the story bracing myself for the inevitable stupid break up and forced separation before the two men realised how idiotic they were being.  Then I had the wind completely taken out of my sales when Trent turned out to be (gasp) a sensible person!  This meant that all my fears were completely unfounded and I can’t begin to tell you how relieved that made me.

In fact both of these characters were extremely likable.  Trent embraced his geeky-goth image, but was also personable and an all round nice guy.  Even though Lucas, with his button down shirts and chinos, is the opposite of what he normally finds attractive, he takes a risk which pays off when they hit it off.  Trent also has a great self-depreciating sense of humour which just added to his attractiveness as a character.  Lucas has the same humourous internal voice but his is tempered by caution and by the fact that he has to deal with a number of difficult people in his life and job.  He’s slightly more nervous about acting on his attraction to Trent but decides to grasp what fate has thrown at him with both hands when he realises that Trent hasn’t recognised him.  Lucas is very aware that he has to be careful, especially once the convention starts, but he has spent such a long time building his career and as a result hiding his sexuality that it’s a relief to him to find someone with who he can share that side of him.

…was he really going to do this? Well, yeah, Lucas answered himself, even as he stripped quickly and stepped into the shower. He was absolutely going to do it, and he was going to enjoy every minute.

One thing that was slightly different to some of the other TC Blue stories which I have read so far was that there was rather a lot of sex in the book.  These men have come together for a weekend hook-up, so it’s not surprising that most of their interaction involves sex.  However, it doesn’t take long before the two men find that they genuinely like each other and are more than just compatible in bed.  This leads to a certain amount of guilt on Lucas’ part as he realises that by not telling Trent who he is, or even his real name, he is deceiving him.  The scenes scenes develop and change as the story progresses and become less just sex and more meaningful.  By the time the story ends both men have come to the conclusion that there could be so much more to their relationship than just sex and are wishing there was a way they could continue to see each other, but the barriers of distance and Lucas’ job makes it difficult for them.

The story focuses mainly on the two men, and rightly so as there’s not enough page time for too many secondary characters.  Those that did appear were used mostly to add humour to the book, especially Trent’s sudden friendship with Mississippi housewife, Cindy-Lou.

Overall, this was an entertaining story from an author who is fast becoming a favourite.  The light, humourous tone of the book; realistic, sensible heroes; along with a realistic story of two men who hook up for a weekend of sex left me wanting more.  Conventional Wisdom ends on a tentative HFN so it’s a very good job that there is to be a sequel as I’ve definitely not tired of these two characters.  I highly recommend that you read this book if you are interested in reading a lighthearted book which nevertheless does not shy away from dealing with the disadvantages of fame for a closeted gay man.