Hot Head

This was written nearly 15 years ago - released 15 June 2011. MM love, in a macho profession, didn't exist, openly. How different is it now in the NY fire department?

The novel is set in the New York firefighting community post 9/11 - within 5 years of 9/11 - so say it is set in 2004 - were there any circumstances where men like these two characters could be open about their relationship? These guys were "firsts". At least it wasn't "never" for their entire lives. They had that, even though homophobia was alive and well, and yet also widely recognised as a hate crime. Did they have an advantage living in New York?

But homophobia wasn't everywhere - Dante's family seem truly a loving, and accepting, family. I loved that this is how an show more Italian American family was portrayed - given that from my experience, Italian mores can be fairly patriarchal and macho.

Anyway ... this is background only to Suede's masterfully constructed romance novel..."novel" being the operative word, as Dante's seduction of Griff is such a round about, confusing set of circumstances, but such a marvellously novel plot idea ... when they become amateur porn stars to ostensibly make quick money but actually to finally cross a barrier that allows them to experience their feelings.

Up till now it's unrequited love and longing is killing them both.

The story is told through Griff's POV, and for all that he is emotionally involved to his core, he is passive except for how he is motivated to do anything for Dante ... if it helps Dante to keep the decrepit brown stone he has poured his heart into - "heart" because, as we find out, the kitchen, the house - it is home and family, and that is who Dante is, for all his rampant good looks and manwhore ways. Griff is drawn to both - family and Dante's beauty - like a moth to a flame.

Until they finally explore intimacy, Dante and Griff, who've been friends since they were youths, have unknowingly and then knowingly hidden their love behind a bro culture easily available to them through sport, family and the brotherhood of firefighters. Though anyone can see their friendship is special. They are joined at the hip, inseparable. It's overwhelming and joyful when they finally get on the same page, for the MCs and the reader! That morning when they wake up together and are absolutely stoked on happiness - for all the tension in other parts of the novel, that is the mountain top.

Charlie David - phew! some of the best narration I've experienced in this MM genre and yet no other books read by him in my libraries! Just looked up who he is and as I suspected, his career has largely been in film, TV and in a band. And he has done a lot of audiobook narration for Audible. His Wikipedia biography reveals him as a good fit for this particular novel, with his interest in straight men doing gay porn etc.

I bought this book on Audible (since it is nowhere to be found in libraries or Hoopla) because it is on many best-of lists. It deserves to be. It's perfection in its mix of hot and sweet, and while it follows a very defined trope (friends to lovers) it's not formulaic.

Later: I've listened to this again in Feb 25 - a few months after listening the first time.

This is such an impactful, generous book, I'm revising my rating to 5*.

I was surprised to see that there haven't been any reviews on LT since 2013 - how could that be?! Was there a sequel, as maybedog requests? Thanks AB_Gayle for the long background on the author and the book and your deep dive. show less

Griff Muir is somewhat perturbed when his best friend decides to do porn to supplement his income as it stirs up feelings he would rather not acknowledge.

It is a tribute to Damon Suede's story-telling powers that I kept reading this all the way through as I had taken a decided dislike to both the main characters by the end of chapter 1.

This was not what I expected at all and I was pleasantly surprised. I expected yet another M/M romance glorifying the porn trade which really angers me. It just isn't a lovely beautiful world where everyone is happy.

Hot Head doesn't glamorize it, nor does it judge it. Instead, Suede paints a very realistic picture of what it would be like for a couple of guys who'd never done anything like this to dip into the world in a safe way but for the wrong reasons.

The two are beyond adorable and very real to me. Often in these books I find myself recycling my image/impression of a beloved character from another novel because so many are so similar. But I've never read a character that feels like Griff, and Dante was original, too. I believed show more them, I liked that this wasn't overnight for either of them, and I think they're coming to grips with being gay was almost realistic if a little easy. I loved Griff's foray into a gay bar for the first time, I was laughing a lot, and I loved his preconceived notions about what gay men are like.

I really liked how they handled the gay-bashing even if I did think the scene in the bar where everyone loves Tommy a bit unrealistic but it was sweet.

One of my favorite parts was the photo shoot. I love the photographer, how everyone interacted, the banter, the possessiveness, Dante's antics, etc. I want Suede to write a sequel and include this woman in it.

I liked Dante's family, and I love how not black and white Griff's is. His father sucks but he's not evil. That's realism.

The best part, though, was how well Suede handled and integrated 9/11 into the story. He talked about what it was like back then, how it is 10 years later, how the city treated them now, what has changed what hasn't, and how that day will always be part of what it is to be a firefighter in New York City. I like that he mentioned how police officers lost 70 something of their own, too. They were heroes, too, who also went into the buildings to pull people out and they get almost no recognition. I believe being a police officer is one of the most thankless and dangerous jobs on the planet. But I digress.

There was even some danger and what I call peril: fear that someone is going to die and the other person terrified and desperate for them. God I love that. I am so sick.

Anyway, I really want to read more about these guys and hope Suede hurries up and writes a sequel. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 because of the way he handled and integrated the subject of 9/11. show less

This was not what I expected at all and I was pleasantly surprised. I expected yet another M/M romance glorifying the porn trade which really angers me. It just isn't a lovely beautiful world where everyone is happy.

Hot Head doesn't glamorize it, nor does it judge it. Instead, Suede paints a very realistic picture of what it would be like for a couple of guys who'd never done anything like this to dip into the world in a safe way but for the wrong reasons.

The two are beyond adorable and very real to me. Often in these books I find myself recycling my image/impression of a beloved character from another novel because so many are so similar. But I've never read a character that feels like Griff, and Dante was original, too. I believed show more them, I liked that this wasn't overnight for either of them, and I think they're coming to grips with being gay was almost realistic if a little easy. I loved Griff's foray into a gay bar for the first time, I was laughing a lot, and I loved his preconceived notions about what gay men are like.

I really liked how they handled the gay-bashing even if I did think the scene in the bar where everyone loves Tommy a bit unrealistic but it was sweet.

One of my favorite parts was the photo shoot. I love the photographer, how everyone interacted, the banter, the possessiveness, Dante's antics, etc. I want Suede to write a sequel and include this woman in it.

I liked Dante's family, and I love how not black and white Griff's is. His father sucks but he's not evil. That's realism.

The best part, though, was how well Suede handled and integrated 9/11 into the story. He talked about what it was like back then, how it is 10 years later, how the city treated them now, what has changed what hasn't, and how that day will always be part of what it is to be a firefighter in New York City. I like that he mentioned how police officers lost 70 something of their own, too. They were heroes, too, who also went into the buildings to pull people out and they get almost no recognition. I believe being a police officer is one of the most thankless and dangerous jobs on the planet. But I digress.

There was even some danger and what I call peril: fear that someone is going to die and the other person terrified and desperate for them. God I love that. I am so sick.

Anyway, I really want to read more about these guys and hope Suede hurries up and writes a sequel. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 because of the way he handled and integrated the subject of 9/11. show less

This was not what I expected at all and I was pleasantly surprised. I expected yet another M/M romance glorifying the porn trade which really angers me. It just isn't a lovely beautiful world where everyone is happy.

Hot Head doesn't glamorize it, nor does it judge it. Instead, Suede paints a very realistic picture of what it would be like for a couple of guys who'd never done anything like this to dip into the world in a safe way but for the wrong reasons.

The two are beyond adorable and very real to me. Often in these books I find myself recycling my image/impression of a beloved character from another novel because so many are so similar. But I've never read a character that feels like Griff, and Dante was original, too. I believed show more them, I liked that this wasn't overnight for either of them, and I think they're coming to grips with being gay was almost realistic if a little easy. I loved Griff's foray into a gay bar for the first time, I was laughing a lot, and I loved his preconceived notions about what gay men are like.

I really liked how they handled the gay-bashing even if I did think the scene in the bar where everyone loves Tommy a bit unrealistic but it was sweet.

One of my favorite parts was the photo shoot. I love the photographer, how everyone interacted, the banter, the possessiveness, Dante's antics, etc. I want Suede to write a sequel and include this woman in it.

I liked Dante's family, and I love how not black and white Griff's is. His father sucks but he's not evil. That's realism.

The best part, though, was how well Suede handled and integrated 9/11 into the story. He talked about what it was like back then, how it is 10 years later, how the city treated them now, what has changed what hasn't, and how that day will always be part of what it is to be a firefighter in New York City. I like that he mentioned how police officers lost 70 something of their own, too. They were heroes, too, who also went into the buildings to pull people out and they get almost no recognition. I believe being a police officer is one of the most thankless and dangerous jobs on the planet. But I digress.

There was even some danger and what I call peril: fear that someone is going to die and the other person terrified and desperate for them. God I love that. I am so sick.

Anyway, I really want to read more about these guys and hope Suede hurries up and writes a sequel. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 because of the way he handled and integrated the subject of 9/11. show less

~~~

“Because people should not be punished for loving and hoping and holding their hearts open.”


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My timing in reading this book has a lot to do with how it hit home for me. While I was swept away with the powerful, hard-hitting writing style and the "hell-yes" sexiness, it was the underlying message that came through loud and clear. That message will and has made this book a genre classic, of which I wish it to transcend.

Last week, my president announced his stand on same sex marriage. Yesterday I watched a video of a religious figure (also in my country, unbelievably) calling for electrified fences to contain LGBT humans. I'm not an activist but I am strongly secure of my feelings and convictions show more with regard to same sex issues. Mostly, I don't want it to be an issue.
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Hot Head is a spicy, gritty, sexy rocket of a story that starts out fast and never slows down. The writing style of Mr. Suede is gripping, quick and concise. I found no wasted words or passages.


“Everything was so nutty with Loretta, all her reactions. She used tantrums like most people used sedatives”

The character development is superb. I found myself instantly enthralled by both Griff and Dante. In fact all of the players were instantly identifiable. The descriptions of secondary characters was just as complete and poignant as those of the main characters, I appreciate that. I particularly enjoyed the visual of Loretta as an operatic diva, very telling. Some of the stereotyping was surprising to find and quite in-my-face but I did not find it offensive. It just helped to draw a picture of the diversity of the city.

The story had a very full and yet tight feel. A backdrop of 9-11 permeated the story but didn't overwhelm it. I thought the author did an excellent job of infusing lasting feelings from the disaster with the need for hope. The epic feel of the story comes from drawing a picture spanning childhood, youthful frivolity, adult-life complications and a desire to have a fulfilling, mature future. Well done here.

The message. Hope. Hope for acceptance, love, family and peace.

Thank you Mr. Suede for the journey. I have a feeling that you will continue to write poignant, meaningful and current stories and I look forward to them.

“The world is different, but folks are the same, huh?”

~~~

Take a look at my Male/Male Romance Book Blog:


http://www.attentionisarbitrary.blogspot.com show less

For the past ten years, firefighter Griff has wondered if his feelings for his longtime best friend and colleague, Dante, might be something more than friendship. It seems a bit preposterous as Griff hasn't ever desired guys (he's been married) and Dante is a veritable ladies' man himself. But when Dante runs into some financial trouble and accepts an offer to appear on an amateur porn site, Griff's feelings go into overdrive - and nearly explode when Dante suggests they might appear together since the site is willing to offer higher cash rewards...

I had a hard time putting this one down. Damon Suede does an excellent job of throwing us into Griff and Dante's world, already in progress, and feeling like we've known them for years. And, show more considering the setting is New York City in 2011 and it would be a part of Griff and Dante's experiences, he does a wonderful job of being respectful to the FDNY heroes who responded to the September 11th attacks. There was a point in the middle of the book where I wasn't sure I was going to like where things ended up, but it made its way back around and I find myself wanting to grab up the next installment in this series soon. show less