Summer Share [Paperback]

Chris Kenry (Author), William J. Mann (Author), Andy Schell (Author), Ben Tyler (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Swathed in comically provocative cartoon cover art, this giddy, outr‚ four-story collection from Kensington's fully loaded stable of gay beach-book genre writers promises frolicsome, boy-crazy entertainment and for the most part delivers. Opening the volume is Chris Kenry's (Can't Buy Me Love) "Sugar Daddy Summer," in which falling in love takes but an afternoon of fly-fishing in Aspen for bookish Brian and HIV-positive hunk Jake, while the superficial "cobra sisters," Derek and Keith, scope out the Summerfest scene ("the summer version of Gay Ski Week") for rich companions to call their own. "The Perfect Husband," by William J. Mann (The Biograph Girl), and "The Outline of a Torso," by Andy Schell (My Best Man), provide similar variations on the theme of the gorgeous-yet-elusive wonder boy who's disastrously chased by friends of friends, offering plenty of catty, jealous in-fighting softened by ubiquitous sex. Mann and Schell's tales lack the spunk of their counterparts, though both brim with lively banter and are set in such festive locales as Provincetown and Hawaii. But the volume saves the best for last: Ben Tyler's (Tricks of the Trade) playful "Satisfaction" concerns Dusty, a jilted, newly single man (for about five minutes) who falls in love with "Marine Corps-solid" Jon without realizing that they have a paramour in common from their past love lives. The happy endings are as dependable as the vermilion sunsets in these frothy, mischievous, sexy, featherweight fictions. Judge this book by its cover.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 294 pages
• Publisher: Kensington; First Edition edition (May 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758200889
• ISBN-13: 978-0758200884
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #620,105 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Frothy, fluffy but with a bit of a bite..., February 26, 2003

By 

G. Toscano (Pasig, Philippines) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Summer Share (Paperback)

4 simple stories of finding and rediscovering love, gay-style... I find that in 3 of them, they fall in love way too fast and the resolutions are way too pat and too perky. BUt who wants to read a party-pooper of a book in the bright, sunny days of summer anyway. But they are all charming in their own way.

But I gave this book 5 stars just because of 1 story - Andy Schell's The Outline of a Torso. It is light, unassuming and sweet at the start but suddenly, you willingly allow yourself to get swept up in the story in order to discover the tangled relationship between Rusty and Ethan. Schell sets up situations and uses other supporting characters to pave that way for a happy ending, but he does it so cleverly that I wished that he could have turned this short story into a novel. I would have loved to delve deeper into this rediscovery of first love.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FOUR ... FOUR FANTASTIC TRIPS IN ONE!, July 29, 2002

By 

Robert Edler "Master Of Mystery" (Saint Louis, Missouri USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Summer Share (Paperback)

SUMMER SHARE is an anthology of four gay summer romance novellas set in four summer vacation sites and designed for perfect summer reading.

The first stop is Aspen in August with SUGAR DADDY SUMMER by Chris Kenry. It features Walter, the personification of a sugar daddy; Keith and Derek, his totally obnoxious ex's; Brian, his current and most sensible flame; and Jake a man from the past and possible future. Kenry is the author of Can't Buy Me Love and this season's Uncle Max. In SUGAR DADDY SUMMER he shows all of the creative skills he showed in Can't Buy Me Love, but didn't in Uncle Max. This one gets my 4.5 stars.

Next stop is P-Town with THE PERFECT HUSBAND by William J. Mann. This one features Andy Krywinski and Troy Palmer, old college buddies who are on a summer quest to P-Town - to finally find their Mr. Rights. Mann is the author of The Men From The Boys, The Biograph Girl and the upcoming Where The Boys Are. I hadn't read any of his previous works, but I probably will be in the near future since I felt his contribution to this anthology was the best written. A full 5 stars here.

The exotic Hawaiian Islands (now and six years ago) are the setting for THE OUTLINE OF A TORSO by Andy Schell. Six years ago three best buds and budding gay teens were having a surfing summer when a very "straight" and seductive teen, Ethan Prather showed up and devastated not only their summer but also their lives. Now six years have gone by and the three recent college grads have returned to Maui for their summer vacation. And guess who also shows up? Schell is the author of the best selling novel, My Best Man. His contribution to Summer Share is a little more serious in tone and extremely well written. He earned my 5 stars with it.

SATISFACTION by Ben Tyler takes you to the gay Mecca of Palm Springs for a series of summer weekends. Dusty, a Hollywood PR man, is in love with an older Chad, who apparently can't get enough love, until Dusty walks in to find him and his latest twink in the hot tub and naturally walks out. Dusty then sets out to rebuild his life and find love anew. Tyler is the author of Tricks Of The Trade and the current Hunk House. His tale was the most predictable of the four, but I'll give him 4 stars.

SUMMER SHARE is perfect for summer reading - light, but enjoyable If you don't want to get bogged down in a long multi-page novel here's the book for you.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT SUMMER READING, May 11, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Summer Share (Paperback)

SUMMER SHARE is a book you'll want to read by the pool or at the beach, then share it with your friends. Four popular gay writers are represented in this anthology. They're all great in their own way, and their short novels are fun and diverse. I especially liked Ben Tyler's "Satisfaction," and Chris Kenry's "Sugar Daddy Summer." These guys know how to write fun, absorbing, and character-driven stories. This is one of those must reads, and you'll be talking about it at parties for the rest of the year. I give it with an A+.