Greg Hogben

The story begins with Adam Goodwin grieving over the loss of his companion, Michael, and then finding an abandoned baby in Grand Central station.

The baby was handed over to the authorities. But Adam couldn't stop thinking about her, and wondered if she was ok. Being he's an attorney, he did a little investigating and found her. He winds up adopting her and names her, Sera. He raises her as a single parent with the assistance of his brother Aaron, and three women who live in his building.

Based on peculiar and unusual occurrences surrounding Sera, Adam became concerned she may be delusional, especially when she continues to speak of her friend, Sophia, whom he deems as fictitious or imaginary.

After she graduates high school, she decides to take a trip around the world with her three friends. When she returns however, she doesn't look herself. She had lost a lot of weight, and appeared frail, drained and exhausted. It all makes sense once she begins telling her father and uncle the types of things she and her friends experienced.

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The strange thing is that, considering The British Devil was submitted to the Rainbow Awards in the category Biographies & Memoirs, I know that the Greg Stephens of the story is the Greg Hogben of the title but nevertheless this is one of the best piece of fiction I have read, a wonderful and romantic story I would recommend to everyone, and with that I really mean from the teenager to the young man or woman, to the older. This story was sexy without being erotic, was romantic without being unrealistic, was emotional involving without being dramatic. There are many points in which you understood it was real cause it didn’t push on the effect just to make it more appealing to the reader, obtaining exactly that, to make the reader aware they were partaken of something that really happened.

Greg and Danny are in love, but Greg is from UK and Danny from US. They are luckier than other people in their same situation, they have the means to be able to see each other frequently while testing the waters of their relationship, and then trying to leave a part-time relationship until the day law will allow them to stay together forever. So money is not one of the issues they have to consider, but nevertheless their situation is not easy. Danny’s mother is actually the worst enemy of their relationship, way more than immigration. From a very conservative church, Vivien considers Greg the devil in flesh, the one who will bring down her pious son (doesn’t matter that Danny was gay and out way before meeting Greg). Here maybe is the only point where I wish Greg emphasized the story for the readers, cause knowing that people like Vivien are out there it scares me a little; unfortunately, I know they are, and that, most scaring of everything, they really believe they are on the right side and only doing good.

The British Devil was released before DOMA struck down, so I suppose now things will change for Greg and Danny, and for all the other inter-national same-sex couples, but if you were worried like me that a memoirs couldn’t be romantic, do not worry, as I said, The British Devil is one of the best romance I have read.

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While I really enjoyed this, there were a few moments where it became preachy and prodded the pitchfork a little too hard into the arse of evil America (I don't disagree, necessarily, but it became a little too hard core for fiction). I also had a bit of an issue with Mrs Taylor's whiplash turnaround. But the MCs were great, the secondary characters nicely rounded out, it was nicely paced for the most part (the ending felt like a bit of a rush, though), and it was both funny and thought provoking.… (more)