Tag Archives: The Eskimo Slugger

ICYMI: New Release from Brad Boney – Brothers Across Time

Posted on September 24, 2018 | Leave a comment

I am a massive fan of Brad Boney and I’ve read (and reviewed) all of his published books so far – The Nothingness of Ben, The Return, The Eskimo Slugger, Yes – and enjoyed each one tremendously!

Brothers Across Time is a sweeping saga of family and friendship that spans four centuries, three love stories, two generations—with one unassuming but kick-ass gondola…

Over three years after the release of Yes, Brad is back with another story that will surely render his avid fans (yet again) in awe of his talent and captivate new readers with his heartwarming/wrenching storytelling with absolutely memorable characters!

Tony Bass longs for an adventure, and on a sleepless night in 1997, fate is about to deliver. His random encounter with twin brothers at first seems unremarkable, since it takes more than period costumes to stand out in Austin, Texas. When pressed for an explanation, the twins make an astonishing confession. They have traveled across time from sixteenth-century Venice.

Once Tony learns their enchanted gondola goes both ways, he convinces his brother Frank to take a vacation to 1590. There, Tony meets the beautiful and enigmatic Isabella, the daughter of a Venetian senator. But what begins as an innocent flirtation ends in crisis when Isabella gives birth to twin sons. The boys must be separated and raised in different centuries.

Eighteen years later, an American teenager boards the gondola and returns to the past to find his brother. While a struggling young man in old-world Padua embraces an unexpected future, which might just include romance with a handsome stranger.

I am still in the process of writing my review so do watch out for it but let me tell you right now that I absolutely loved it!!!

You can buy you copy in the Amazon Link below:

About The Author
 Brad Boney lives in Austin, Texas, the 7th gayest city in America. He grew up in the Midwest and went to school at NYU. He lived in Washington, DC and Houston before settling in Austin. He blames his background in the theater for his writing style, which he calls “dialogue and stage directions.” His first book was named a Lambda Literary Award finalist. He believes the greatest romantic comedy of all time is ’50 First Dates’. His favorite gay film of the last ten years is ‘Strapped’. And he has never met a boy band he didn’t like.

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Book Review: Yes – Brad Boney

Posted on June 11, 2015 | 1 comment

“Every day for the rest of my life, it’ll remind me there’s only one way forward. I’m done being angry. I’m done feeling regrets and living on the sidelines. From now on, if life is a question, then this is the answer.”

During a trip to Denver with his best friend, Mark, Ian Parker buys a bar of enchanted chocolate from a candy store and wakes up two decades younger. Feeling like he was gifted by the universe a second chance to correct past mistakes, he poses as his nephew Ryan who then tried to pursue Bartley James, a regular customer at his La Tazza Magica cafe. Things, though, didn’t go as planned as his Ryan persona’s expectations didn’t bode well with the reality of things. Only what exactly is real and what is not?

You are forty, you have your own business and are successful enough, but you are not happy – you are still searching for that one thing and still feel that past mistakes are holding you back in reaching that.

What if you’ve got a chance for a do-over? Ian was given that chance, and as per Brad Boney’s tradition – magical realism was heavily used here. Yes will introduce you to the characters from the author’s past efforts entitled The Nothingness of Ben and The Return (you can include The Eskimo Slugger even). I’m confident you’ll enjoy reading this more if you’ve read the first three books because familiar characters were heavily featured here. However, I don’t think it’ll be a significant problem if you want to read this one regardless of the authors’ other books. What I can tell you is that this is a brilliant book. The characters are decidedly relatable, and the story was easy.

The whole 17 Again vibe was glaring at me at the onset of the story, and the excessive information dump about porn stars was somewhat informative, and I do like that part for some reason. It was like the pop culture lessons back in The Return.

Although there is one part that irks me, which I thought was intentional – the car sex scene between Ryan and Matthew – I was like, cmon’ man, it’s a do-over, right? —ever heard of protection? That was a ploy to get a rise out of the readers. I know I took the bait.

I think avid fans of Boney (like me) will get a kick out of this in the scope of things. I know I enjoyed this immensely and thought the author’s writing style is one of a kind in this genre. He’s just always on point, and the voices of his characters (especially Ian) speak to you.

Can I also mention how happy I am to hear from Topher and the guys? Ugh. So. Very. Special. And the preamble on Sam and Jeremy’s story. I couldn’t wait!

Yes may not be the strongest amongst Brad Boney’s novels, but it is a solid effort deserving of a five star-ratings like its first three predecessors.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Published March 16th 2015 by Dreamspinner Press

About The Author
Brad Boney lives in Austin, Texas, the 7th gayest city in America. He grew up in the Midwest and went to school at NYU. He lived in Washington, DC and Houston before settling in Austin. He blames his background in the theater for his writing style, which he calls “dialogue and stage directions.” His first book was named a Lambda Literary Award finalist. He believes the greatest romantic comedy of all time is ’50 First Dates’. His favorite gay film of the last ten years is ‘Strapped’. And he has never met a boy band he didn’t like.

Please note that this blog is reader-supported. When you buy through links on my site, I may earn an affiliate commission via Amazon Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Book Review: The Eskimo Slugger – Brad Boney

Posted on January 10, 2015 | 1 comment

The Eskimo Slugger

The Eskimo Slugger left me speechless hours after reading it. I mean, WOW. I kept repeating everything I’ve read in my head. Long after the book’s conclusion, I’m still thinking about Trent Days and Brendan Baxter, and it was like a time warp that my mind went back to the setting and the characters of the book’s accompanying novels – The Nothingness of Ben and The Return. I’ve mixed emotions about this book. It made me sad, nostalgic, happy, and peaceful and a bucket full of fierce feelings I’ve never thought I’d feel for a book since reading The Lonesome Dove [Larry McMurty] and Beach Music [Pat Conroy] years ago.

It’s the summer of 1983, and Trent Days, born to an Inupiat Mother in Alaska, was dubbed by the press as the Eskimo Slugger for his sensational record at the Major Baseball League. A midseason collision halted his rise to the top, which sent him back to Austin to recuperate. When Trent visited his favorite record store, he met the eager and funny law student Brendan Baxter. A skip on a record vinyl sent him back to the store and Brendan, leading to date and a blossoming romance. 

If you’ve read Brad Boney’s previous two novels (The Nothingness of Ben and The Return), you’d see the parallelism used to connect each character and each event. Of course, it’s not so much of parallelism if one considers the theme used via The Return (I’d instead leave it like this because I want you guys to get hold of these books!). One can also mention the beautiful juxtaposition of Trent & Brendan characters with “Travis & Ben” of The Nothingness of Ben. The whole mixed up was just a wee bit nostalgic and sometimes even jaw-dropping. I was mentally screaming, Oh shoot! Shoot! – Brad Boney is killing me with this!!!

I guess the beauty of this book relies upon the well-constructed development of the story. It started with Trent and Brendan’s first meeting, how they quickly got along, the meeting of each other’s friends, and its conclusion that was woven beautifully into another time. It’s also a great feeling to see characters from his previous books. It’s like I’ve known these people in my life, and knowing their story makes me yearn for more – it makes me ask more questions, makes me want to go back and reread that particular chapter/page. 

I’ve always mentioned that The Return has a very special place in my heart for some reason. I guess, looking back – it’s always the quality of Brad Boney’s writing that made me say this. The Nothingness Of Ben was nothing short of extraordinary. The Return will always be like my favorite toy, but The Eskimo Slugger is the perfect example of Brad Boney’s artistry. That man’s a genius!

 

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Published September 29th 2014 by Dreamspinner Press

About The Author
Brad Boney lives in Austin, Texas, the 7th gayest city in America. He grew up in the Midwest and went to school at NYU. He lived in Washington, DC and Houston before settling in Austin. He blames his background in the theater for his writing style, which he calls “dialogue and stage directions.” His first book was named a Lambda Literary Award finalist. He believes the greatest romantic comedy of all time is ’50 First Dates’. His favorite gay film of the last ten years is ‘Strapped’. And he has never met a boy band he didn’t like.

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