James Earl Hardy

4 stars

Mitch doesn’t lack for sexual company, but the kind of guy he’s always been attracted to is a B-Boy. They just have the attitude and confidence and swagger that he admires. And the body. One night, he hooks up with Raheim, and then they keep hooking up. They go through ups and downs of new relationships and people getting to know one another until Raheim does something that may be unforgivable.
I enjoyed this as being refreshing, different from what I usually read. Mitch and his show more friends were funny and loving and piss-taking with each other. I wasn’t as enamoured with Raheim, just because I could see some worrying characteristics and attitudes about things that are detrimental in a society. (Everyone should be treated fairly and honourably.) I also felt as though Mitch subverted himself with Raheim a little bit, and I was glad to see B.D. call him out on it. I’m not sure how their relationship is going to go, because I feel that what was the root of their rift was kind of glossed over, but if they work on their relationship with intent and integrity, I feel as though it does have promise to be a happy one. In the midst of all this, the reader is provided with a view that doesn’t often get seen in m/m, without it feeling too much like a lecture. show less

I absolutely liked that this was an M/M romance with Black characters written by a Black gay man, especially considering this was published in the 90s. I'd have really liked this in my Nifty, Literotica and Gay Authors reading days. The problem I had reading this, was the constant incoherence, the protagonist's love for B-boys who are described as what would be the "thug" stereotype was fetishistic and the writing could have done without the unnecessary fat jokes that go on and on.

A friend show more of mine once told me certain books are to be enjoyed at a certain period in life and once the period passes, it's too late. And I think that's what happened with this book. show less

Considering that I’m not an huge fan of collections (I usually prefer longer novels) and that erotica is not really my cup of tea (I prefer sweet more than hot), I’m truly, but very much pleasantly, surprised of how much I enjoyed this one, to a level that I really love some stories, even the naughtier.

“The Last Picture. Show.” is about an young porn star who decides, exactly during a shoot, that it’s time to quit, and while the actor is engaging in his last gig, he wanders with show more his mind to the how and when he started, bringing the reader along, far from the current reality, that is not much appealing, not for the actor or the reader. But this is done with a light tone and in the end, help will arrive from the most unexpected ally.

“How Stanley Got His Back in Groove” is probably my favorite, along with “Can You Feel What I'm Saying?”. Very romantic and, well, sweet but sexy, is about almost 40 years old Stanley who embarks in a relationship with 20 years old Bobby, who is, by the way, one of his former elementary school students, from when Stanley did a 4 months stint as a PE teacher. Stanley was ending a 9 years self-imposed abstinence from sex, mainly cause, I suppose, he was disillusioned by it, but Bobby will teach him how to love again: the student becoming the teacher!

“Booty, By Jake” is the naughtier one I was referring to. Ray considers himself an A-list guy: handsome, with a good job and a long string of other A-list guys he can pick for a no strings attached booty call. Jake is only the super of his condo, an average guy, nothing special, B bordering C as Ray thought the first time he saw him. But Jake has hidden “qualities” that will have Ray promote him to the A+ level!

“Can You Feel What I'm Saying?” is the second romantic one, and another that I enjoyed. About an almost sweet romance between a blind man, Ellington, and his new friend, Antwan, a man he meets every morning while walking to work and who, Ellington decided, will be his birthday’s gift… and yes, that is exactly what he is meaning. Only that Antwan doesn’t consider himself to the level of Ellington, starting from his HIV positive status arriving to his no degree necessary job. It will be on Ellington to let him understand that those are irrelevant details in love.

This is the second time I had the chance to read a story by James Earl Hardy, and he is more and more convincing me to go back and read his B-Boy Blues classic series.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0967832829/?tag=elimyrevandra-20 show less

More of a rambling dramatic monologue than a carefully crafted novel, this is a piece of entertainment that isn't badly written, but isn't particularly engaging either. The drastic level of slang in the narrator's voice is nearly unbelievable, especially when paired against his lover, who speaks in an overly formal voice which is itself unbelievable. Those distractions were tough for me to overlook, as was the lack of tension. Supposedly, the book is built around the narrator's worry about show more taking an AIDS test and then waiting for the result, but that so-called worry disappears for most of the book, though early on (and later on) he claims that it consumed his life. Theoretically, HIV/AIDS is at the center of the work, but if anything, the book argues that there's really no need to worry after all since both characters had indisgressions, neither got tested, and neither worries all that much about it or faces any results, judging from the narrative.

In all, I have to say that I found this an easy read, but a frustrating one. There wasn't much to it beyond a rambling narrator who varied between being incredibly immature and the wisest one in his circle, and much of the plotting and characterization here just wasn't believable.

Unfortunately, not anything I'd recommend. show less