50 comments to make you smile? The author’s sense of humor and view on life made for an engaging and entertaining story!

Alex Kirby is a 24 year old virgin who seems to be drifting through life without making much of an effort to accomplish anything serious. Taylor Grayson is a huge movie star who refuses to have emotional connections in his life. They meet by chance and begin a relationship initially based on lust, but slowly based on more than that.

The entire story is told in first person by Alex. He can make a quip about almost anything in life and relate it to a movie, actor, or television show. Needless to say, his storytelling was captivating and made for a very fast read. He lives with his best friend, Matty, who is an interesting character that has the potential for a future story. They had a very strong friendship reflected in some great dialogue.

Alex and Taylor begin to spend time together, but their relationship is quirky due to Taylor’s restricted emotional offering. The interactions with Alex and Taylor lacked any heavy dialogue and mostly revolved around a few sex scenes. Alex was willing to play the submissive sex games, but he was also capable of standing up for himself and demanding a more emotional connection than what Taylor was willing to offer.

It was a bit challenging to understand what Alex actually saw in Taylor to make Alex love Taylor so much. The final resolution felt a bit contrived, since we never really understood Taylor’s psyche nor were we made to understand what drove his final transformation.

There were elements of BDSM including bondage, whipping, spanking, and hard biting. Taylor presented Alex with a written contract to sign which also outlined soft and hard limits, and he encouraged Alex to do some research before signing it. Unfortunately, Alex never signed it and, more importantly, they never discussed a safe word before engaging in their scenes.

The editing was excellent especially as it related to spelling and grammar. However, it’s a bit pricey at almost $10. Overall, it was an enjoyable story told by a charming young man.

Originally reviewed for The Romance Reviews. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.

BLURB

Meeting his celebrity crush was one thing, but even Hollywood could not have written what happened next.

Inspired by E.L. James’ international phenomenon, 50 Shades of Grey, Jeffery Self’s 50 Shades of Gay tells the story of a young celebrity blogger, Alex Kirby, who interviews Taylor Grayson, a superstar leading man in Hollywood blockbuster films. Grayson also happens to be a closeted gay man with a passion for BDSM. When Grayson draws the younger man into his private orbit and initiates him into his sexual world, the younger man can tell that kinky sex has shielded Grayson from having a real emotional connection with another man. But he is head over heels in love with the older, powerful, gorgeous man who has selected him for the pleasures of submission. Ultimately, Alex decides to experiment with the power differential between them, and see if he can break through the armor that Grayson and his layers of Hollywood handlers have imprisoned him in. Will he be able to open Grayson up to real intimacy, or will he cause Grayson to end the relationship and cut himself off yet again?