Edward Unconditionally

Awww - I loved this book. I was a bit worried it could follow a more standard pattern with a bit of gay bashing causing the 'light-bulb' moment but LL pulled us beyond that trope and it was just a lovely story. LOVED Winston and his backstory - that dog is just flat out gorgeous! (He solidified the 5 star rating.) And Edward was such a sweetie, but with backbone. *sigh* Jack is one lucky man.

Reread: 14 December - more 3.5 stars now but mostly because Jack was a bit of a douche...
Took me a while but I finally finished this. Easy to read - pick up and put down.

This is the first book I've read by Lynn Lorenz, though it is the third book of a series, where each book can stand alone. I chose it because it was so highly rated on both Goodreads and Amazon, and I wasn't disappointed.

Both main characters were well written and I had no problem with a little fantasy of Edward's ability to heal others. It was the source of a lot of angst for him in the story which worked well.

I especially liked that Edward's character showed many feminine traits not only with his "pretty" looks, but things like his shedding tears easily. After reading so many m/m books where both guys are manly-men (even if one is submissive to the other), it was refreshing to have this character type represented. I've known gay men as show more friends who exhibited many feminine traits, so I found it very true-to-life and endearing. Highly recommend! show less

The Common Powers series by Lynn Lorenz it's probably the only series were the paranormal powers of some of its characters are less important than the story, so less important that sometime you even forget that they exist.

Edward is a full flamboyant gay man from Atlanta. From a wealthy family, that maybe could not approve his 'lifestyle', but would never let him live under their social status, Edward has never considered himself worthy of the love of a good man, and so he has always chosen the bad boys, but unfortunately not the 'good' type of bad boys. When the last in a string of profiteers, clears out his bank account, Edward's mother, the one who manages Edward's money till his 40 years, gives him only one option: going in Texas and show more takes care of his ailing grandmother (a woman he has not seen in 15 years), while the scandal fades away in Georgia.

Edward takes his red sporty car, his Louis Vuitton matching suitcase set, his little bulldog named Winston (who has a matching wardrobe with his daddy), and drives as fast as he can toward Spring Lake in Texas, obviously infringing the speed limit and being halted by Jack, the handsome chief of police of Spring Lake. To 35 years old Edward, but with a behavior of a teenager, Jack appears as an unreachable man, handsome but too much older, and obviously straight. To Jack instead Edward appears like a forbidden fruit, someone he can't never imagine to have for his own in the small town where he lives. Maybe if Edward was more mainly, able to face the hardness to live in such a context... but no, Edward is lithe and gentle, screaming gay like a neon in the night.

Jack is deeply in the closet, and at 45 years old he has almost reached that phase in live when almost doesn't matter. He is not like so many other men, going in the city when the urge is too much, he has simply became comfortable with his quiet life and his loneliness. But first Winston and then Edward make him realize that he is not at all content with his life and that he wants Edward, and also Winston. Yes, since Winston is a very important character in the story, and I believe that the little dog recognized at first glance the right man for his daddy, and took the right move to be sure that the two got together.

Even if the book is very much focused on Jack and Edward's relationship, the sex doesn't arrive soon. And it's right like that, since it's not simple for Jack letting go years of conditioning and self-deprivation. Here maybe there is the only point of the book that made me wonder: there is obviously some secret in Jack's past, something that pushed him, in a good and bad way, to become the man he is now, but this aspect is not fully developed, remain something vague that we see only through some blurry image of Jack's memories.

On the other hand, Edward is fully developed, and I loved so much when he said that he wanted the fairy tale, for once in his life he wanted a man who loves him unconditionally, for who he is right now, without changing him... it's not only a desire for a dream lover, it's also the desperate cry of a rejected child. On the outside Edward seems sexy and funny, but he is for real a man with a desperate need of love. And Jack has so much love hidden inside, that he is obviously the right match for Edward, when he will decide to let it go.

The story is nice, it has obviously its funny moment, but it's mostly more romantic and sweet than light, and less erotic than expected, even if the sex you find, it's really good.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1607374129/?tag=elimyrevandra-20 show less

- Read for an MMR Bingo Challenge: tearjerker with a happy ending -

I read this book because it reportedly had a flamboyant main character, and I really enjoy those. I wouldn't call it a tear jerker myself. Something sad happens, but it is telegraphed early and makes sense.

This is a pleasant little story with a touch of paranormal (Edward has the power to heal by touching people). It is the third in a series, but I didn't feel I had missed anything I needed by skipping the first two. There is no Big Misunderstanding, though there is a fight. It felt necessary to me because Edward needed to stand up for himself and make the title come true. It was funny and the town and the people in it felt real, if a little too cute.

On the down side, show more the book felt contrived in places. Edward's dog Winston bites Jack at a traffic stop, and apparently the reason for this is to advance the plot, because Winston never shows any sign of being a biter anywhere else. The antagonists - Edward's mother and some local mechanics - seemed amped up for dramatic effect.

This was probably a three star read - pleasant but nothing special - but I gave it an extra star because I so enjoyed Edward's swishy ways and both main characters' interaction with WInston. show less

Lynn Lorenz ends her Common Powers trilogy with the best story of the lot. Edward is a lovable, flamboyant man who travels to Texas to heal his grandmother. Jack, the local chief of police, is immediately attracted to Edward but is afraid to reveal to the community that he is gay. Throw in an adorably ugly dog named Winston, and hilarity ensues.This story is both touching and hilarious. Edward is such a kind, giving man that the reader can't help but fall in love with him. Jack is controlled and lonely. I'd recommend this story to anyone who wants a sweet romance.

I love the closet type stories. I suppose because if one of the characters declares themselves gay publicly, we feel the passion FOR the other man so much stronger.

This is one of the better written stories about "coming out" that I have read recently. What I like about the book is that THAT is not the main tension of the novel, merely an added layer.

The most frustrating part is that I can not find an ebook for the first book of the series. I want to go back and read the first two now and try to read them in order.


Good book!

This is the second book I've read in this series, and again, the paranormal aspect is the one which sits uneasily with me. Though Edward's healing ability is more part of the plot than in the previous book, I still don't know why all these men have these freakish talents.

Edward is a very out there gay man, who dog Winston bites the Sheriff when Edward is pulled over for speeding. Jack is deeply in the closet, and very invested in being Sheriff, and playing it safe, but he is dazzled by Edward. He has seen a new gay couple be generally accepted by the town, but they are both very manly men. Edward is different kind of gay, and Jack feels that he will be rejected if he brings this gay man into his home.

I didn't mind it, but I've read much show more better books. I was surprised actually at all the rave reviews. This is by no means a bad book, but it's not exceptionally well written and the erotic tension doesn't sing.. so I would rate is a fair 3.5 stars - happy to be reading it when I've got it in my hands, but it doesn't linger, like Harper Fox's books do, and wasn't as hot as Jez Morrow's books are, nor is it as well written as Josh Lanyon's books. So it's perfectly acceptable, but there is better stuff out there. It's a B+, but not 5 stars, not at all! show less