Customer Reviews

Down Low Secrets: A Story About Black Men Who Have Sex with Other Men

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Kevin Ames has written a fictional account of the down low existence of a young, African-American man. DOWN LOW SECRETS delves into what has become a sensationalized topic: black men who claim to be heterosexual but engage in sexual activities with other men. If you want to know more about this taboo subject and you are not squeamish about explicit sex scenes, this story will give you some education in a very dramatic way.

Trent Matthews is a young, professional, African-American man who is engaged to Lisa Cooper, a young attorney. Trent feels that Lisa is a perfect complement to him and knows marriage and children will be a welcome change in his life. Yet, Trent lives a secret life Lisa knows nothing about. As much as he wants to marry Lisa, his desire for a hard body and quick, easy sex can't seem to be controlled. From one sexual escapade to another, Trent engages in risky and potentially life-destroying antics.

Lisa, on the other hand, has been in some devastating relationships that have left her untrusting. So when she becomes suspicious of Trent's behavior, she does a little sleuthing and will stop at nothing to find out the truth. When she discovers Trent's secret life, what lengths will she go through to avenge the wrongs done to her?

DOWN LOW SECRETS is an over-the-top and sensationalized version of "DL" behavior. Author Kevin Ames gives readers a first hand account of the thought processes of a man who is living a double life, as well as giving them a little lesson on the down low lingo. Readers will find this a quick read, but will be frustrated in the flatness of the characters, the stereotypical behaviors and predictable plot. I was hoping to read about a man's struggle with a behavior that is not accepted by society and who genuinely cared about his fiancée. However, what I read was a man who abhorred sex with women and had sex with men every chance he could get with blatant disregard for the consequences. I wanted a more human account peppered with emotion and truth. Unfortunately, this didn't happen and I am still left asking why because no real secrets were ever revealed.

Reviewed by Cashana Seals
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

Talk about a hush hush topic. Black men having sex with other men on the DL. Now this is not the kind of book I go around reading, but after I was treated to an excerpt I was truly captivated by this forbidden subject matter. This author needs more exposure because this book is well written and is developed quite well. The story is about Trent Mathews. By all signs, he has got it going on completely. Nice career, decent looking woman by his side, church going, but he secretly lusts after men. He really loves men, the way they look and how they can please him. I am not exageratting, this book is so naughty you won't want people to see you reading it and the author hit a definite home run. This book reads so real and it doesn't seem like anything capitalizing off of the recent DL trend. Check out this naughty book and don't let anyone see you reading it!

This book is pretty much a dramatization based on the ideas discussed in the book "On The Down Low", by J. L. King. The subtitle is misleading as one may infer that it offers more information on the DL "phenomenon", but is really IS another urban fiction book. That said, it is expectedly sexually explicit and somewhat sensationalist. The characterization is somewhat flat at times, but it's entertaining if that is what you are looking for. The writer writes TS/TV fiction under a pseudonym, so one may be interested in looking them up.

Like everyone else I have grown sick and tired of numerous books that have popped up since a certain brother chose to out black men across the country. Of course Kevin Ames put his spin on things by dishing dirt that had not been previously dished. Trent Matthews is a brother who seems to have it all together. He has a great job, engaged to a beautiful woman, Lisa, and a secret to end all secrets. Yes, Trent has a secret. He loves men. He loves touching them, being around them, and most of all getting ten kinds of ways nasty with them. In case you haven't guessed, Trent is one of the millions of down low brothers. He works very hard to keep his secret life a secret. Trent surrounds himself with a group of friends that are just like him, on the down low. Trent can't stand being sexual with Lisa, but she is pivotal if he is to remain on the down low. The idea of people finding out that he likes men is something so frightening to him that he will do anything to keep people from finding out. But like my mama always says, "What you do in the dark will come to light."

Kevin Ames' "Down Low Secrets" explores the world of men who appear to be heterosexual, yet still have secret relations with other men. The book introduces readers to Trent Matthews and his fiancée, Lisa Cooper. At first glance Trent and Lisa appear to have it all. They are intelligent, articulate, attractive, successful, and they have good jobs. They are also ready to become husband and wife and raise a family together. Yet under the surface, things are definitely not as they appear. Lisa is insecure after suffering heartaches from her past relationship failures with men, and Trent harbors a deadly secret lifestyle that threatens not only their relationship, but also their lives.

Down Low Secrets was a quick read, but did not really live up to its title. This story seemed to be a fictionalized account of J.L King's nonfiction work, On the Down Low, and provided this reader with no new insight about this lifestyle. The characters seemed boring, predictable, and stereotypical and their dialogue often seemed forced and unrealistic. The story flowed well, but the ending left me unsatisfied, as it did not appear to have properly concluded the story. For those considering reading this book, be forewarned it is filled with graphic, sexual images. Despite its shortcomings, the story was well written and does an excellent job of portraying the anguish of homosexual and sexually confused African American men.

Review by Latoya Carter-Qawiyy
APOOO BookClub

Down Low Secrets "piggy backed" off the success of J.L King's, On the Down Low. It seems to me that Ames took King's accounts and fictionalized it into a story about men who sleep with other men, while they appear to be hetrosexual.

Some passages of the book are sexually graphic.

There's nothing great, outstanding about this book.

Horribly written. Although a chronological narrative of events that attempt to justify the why she wrote this book, it is a lacking novel (or did it really happen to her and that is her way of getting revenge) that attempts to poorly explain why black men live a Down Low lifestyle. I guess if i had to live with her and even know she wrote lame books I would also find me a man that could really please me... If you looking for some hot homoeroticism FORGET IT! If you are male: DONT WAST YOUR TIME WITH THIS BOOK. If you are a women victim of some husband who might be DL, you need not read this book, just give your man what he really needs instead of him having to persue it somewhere else and DONT WASTE YOUR TIME ON THIS AUTHOR. The only thing this author did for me was to make me realize ANYONE can write a book. So I might start with mine soon, but learn that readers deserve something good and not some lame dirt.