Perfect Score [Kindle Edition]

Susan Roebuck (Author)

Book Description

Feckless, exasperating Alex Finch is a rich, handsome and talented singer/songwriter who longs for two things: a career as a professional rock singer, and to have his love for Sam Barrowdale reciprocated.  But drifter Sam's two aims are simply to earn enough money to pay his sister's medical bills and to hide from the world his reading/writing and speech disability.  At this time the word "dyslexia" is generally unknown so to most people he's just a "retard".  From the severe knocks life's dealt him, Sam's developed a tough outer coating and he has no time for a spoilt, selfish guitar player. Despite his defects, Alex's love for Sam never wavers and when Sam unexpectedly disappears, Alex begins a somewhat bungling quest to find him, only to discover that Sam has a fearful enemy: Alex's powerful and influential yet sociopathic uncle. As Alex spirals downwards towards alcoholism, many questions need answering.  Just why did Alex's evil uncle adopt him at age eleven yet deny him any affection?  And what's the mystery behind Alex's father's death? Both seem to face unbeatable odds.  Are they doomed to follow separate paths forever?

Editorial Reviews

Review

Review by Erastes
I am going to enthuse. This is a rare thing, but I was so impressed by this debut novel ...speakitsname.com/
.
--From SpeakItsName Reviews - historical Gay Literature

From the Author

This is not an erotic M/M novel. It is about two men who are desperately trying to find their worth in a worthless world.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 578 KB
• Print Length: 224 pages
• Publisher: Awe-Struck Publishing (September 21, 2010)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004XT6M9C
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #386,331 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional Read! May 13, 2011

By Robsmommy

Format:Kindle Edition

I write in the afterglow of this wonderfully written light literary/romance novel, the characters' emotions of heartwrenching longing still washing over me in waves.

Alex is a character I didn't understand, nor care for very much, at the beginning. I didn't understand his fascination with a boy he had only barely met once before. But, as I read on, I began to witness his circumstances and I began to empathize with him. I could see that he needed Sam, as a youth. And, once I knew of Sam's story, and saw the level of compassion in him (despite the odds), I could see why he was so drawn to him once they were older.

Sam is an intriguing character. He has everything against him, the world continually spits on him, yet he still maintains his decency, despite his tough outer shell. Sam is Dyslexic with a stutter, and since the story is set in the late 1960's (when Dyslexia was very misunderstood) he is often wrongly labeled a "retard" or "dumb". I've seen men with less on their plate than all Sam has had to survive through, turn downright feral as adults. But, Sam has a level of compassion and goodness in him that has saved him from such a fate, and has made him into a very endearing character that the reader can completely embrace.

Perfect Score has enough suspense and mystery within (and none too predictable) to make it a wonderful read with a strong storyline, and one I would recommend on those merits alone. But, the tale of these two men, the struggles they face and the longing they have to be together.....that emotion is so powerful that it made my heart ache for them. That is why I suggest you read this book, to experience that for yourself.

This was my first M/M novel to read, and after doing so, it will not be my last. This book has no explicit or overly erotic scenes, so if you are a reader of romance, but tend to shy away from same-sex characters, perhaps this book would still be of interest. This book leans more towards light literary than romance, but would appeal to readers of both. I was thoroughly caught up with the Uncle and his practices, as much as I was about the mysteries of Sam's life.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Score May 12, 2011

By Lena Grey

Format:Kindle Edition

I'm usually a fast reader, but it took me a while to get through 'Perfect Score' by Susan Roebuck; I consider it time well spent. The style, content and complexity of the story dictated that each page be read and digested before proceeding to the next, otherwise, no compass in the world would have been able to help me find my way back. A pet peeve of mine is when information is repeated several times. I am pleased that Susan Roebuck did not do that. She explained something once and expected me to remember it, rather than repeating it a few more times just in case I didn't.

The vernacular used in the story added lots of local color. Words and phrases such as "A current of bad breath swept over them carrying with it the aroma of undigested raw bull hide with the hair still on."; or "You know what you look like?...A mule-deer in meltdown." placed me right in the middle of Nowhere, Oklahoma. The references to the 60s and 70s time period such as "Car 54 where are you?", 'Midnight Cowboy', Simon and Garfunkel, and Carlos Santana led me even deeper.

The characters In 'Perfect Score' are superbly crafted, each evoking different, but essential emotions which had me embroiled in the story from the beginning, but
Sam influenced me the most. Life knocked him down so much that anyone of lesser moral quality would have given up, but not Sam. Not only did he overcome disparity, he rose like the Phoenix from the ashes. Sam was an amazing combination of strength, intelligence, gentleness and forthrightness; in the face of injustice, whether for a person or an animal, Sam was there on his white horse ready to do battle.

Alex was a unique blend of musical genius, stubbornness and detachment. However, Sam possessed more direction in his little finger than Alex did in his whole body. Yet he offered Sam what he would have not accepted from anyone else in the world; he loved him madly, blindly and completely. "No one had ever got under the fence and rocked his world like Alex had."

Reading 'Perfect Score' was quite a moving experience for me. It brought to mind several life lessons, especially one in particular: whatever you sow, you reap. Alex and Sam paid their debt of responsibility and sowed consideration, kindness and compassion, even though it was not reciprocated by others. In the end, they reaped their reward by finding happiness together. In my opinion, this book deserves a 'perfect score'.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Really good June 7, 2012

By Sirius VINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

REVIEW CONTAINS ONE SPOILER (NOT VERY SIGNIFICANT IN MY OPINION)

I bought this book last year after reading a review on Erastes' historical reviews site. I was intrigued, but since I was not sure from the review whether the ending was happy or not, I left it for the day I would be in appropriate mood just in case. Well appropriate mood stroke me only few days ago. It was a wonderful read overall - I loved the writing and the settings seemed very well researched and believable. I usually dont like the combination of first person and third person POV but in this one it worked really well for me. I really enjoyed seeing how Alex' and Sam's characters evolved and changed for the better, especially Alex. This book had a "cant turn my eyes away from the page" feel for me, I finished it very fast.
I think it is actually one of the most memorable books I have read this year.

Why not five stars you would ask? Because of my general annoyance with unsympathetic women characters in mm genre and unfortunately this book continued this tradition in my opinion. Lisa is not a main villain in this story, I am not even sure if we can call her a villain thank goodness, but can she be anymore unsympathetic? Alex made his own bed, didnt he? And yeah, I know there are Amy and Alex' mom but they are pretty passive in the events of the story and the only female who is not, is well Lisa.

In any event, this is not my regular hot button and I am usually not bothered by the absense of women in the story, but it grates, it really does. I loved the book very much anyway, hence I am taking away only one star.

Oh and while the ending is not tied up in a neatly bow, it is pretty happy for Sam and Alex, please dont let this worry put you off from reading the book, as it did for me.

More About the Author

I was born and educated in the UK (I am British!) but now live in Portugal. I've been an English teacher for many years with the British Council and also the Portuguese civil service where I developed e-learning courses.

My first love is, of course, my husband, my second writing, and my third painting. And now I have time to be able to indulge in all three.

My debut novel, "Perfect Score" was published by Awe-Struck Publishing on Sept 21, 2010 and the paperback was launched on May 11 2011.

Perfect Score was an EPIC (Electronic Publishing Industry Coalition) finalist in the 2012 EPIC e-Book Awards in the Mainstream Category.

Here's a blurb: "Perfect Score" is set in mid West USA in the 1960s and is a story about family relationships, corruption, growing up, integrity, responsibility, and being a man of worth in a society of the worthless.

The two main characters are Alex and Sam. Alex, who lives with a wealthy uncle, is a blend of musical genius, stubbornness and firmly believes in his fantasy that his love for Sam is reciprocated. Sam has more direction in his little finger than Alex has in his whole body. He's strong, yet of small stature and has developed a tough outer-coating after the knocks of a traumatic up-bringing which left him homeless. His one aim in life is to earn enough money to look after his disabled sister. He has no time for a spoiled, rich, guitar player. Sam also stutters and has what is probably a severe form of dyslexia.
When Sam unexpectedly disappears, Alex begins a somewhat bungling quest to find him, only to discover that Sam has a fearsome enemy: Alex's powerful and influential yet sociopathic uncle.

"Hewhay Hall" is my second novel, published by Etopia Press on April 20, 2012. It has won the EPIC (Electronic Publishing Industry Coalition) 2013 e-Book Award in the Horror Category (an EPPIE)
Here's what author Tamera Lawrence wrote in her review on GoodReads:
Hope. It's such a simple word. Yet it's what drives most of us. Hope for a brighter future. Hope for wealth, happiness, health. So when firefighter Jude Elliot loses a leg due to a bomb explosion, he has a hard time adjusting and suffers from traumatic stress disorder. But hope flairs anew in Jude as he discovers there is a place called Hewhay Hall - a place with innovative medicine and refined rehabilitation. It might just be able to turn Jude's life around. So begins Jude's quest to find the elusive Hewhay Hall. But all is not what it seems. For Hewhay Hall holds a dark seductive mistress and birdlike creatures. So what begins as a hopeful journey into the dark English swampland quickly turns to survival against evil.
HEWHAY HALL by Sue Roebuck is a true page turner. It held my attention from page one with its distinctive characters and unique setting. Then came the horror of Hewhay Hall and I was hooked till the very end. Jude Elliot was as likable as they come. Equally compelling was Tess as she tries desperately to find Jude. Miss Verity Slater was vile and fascinating. I couldn't wait to see what made her tick and was not disappointed in the find. HEWHAY HALL was a fascinating read that made me squirm a bit. I really enjoyed this horrific tale and would like to see more works from this talented author. Wonderful read!