Brief Encounters

Title: The Party
Author: Vic Winter
Length: 3,700 words (15 pdf pages)
Publisher: Torquere Press
Genre: m/m contemporary
Rating: B

Blurb:

Dressing up as Robin, the Boy Wonder, for this year’s GLBT ‘pairs party’, Ricky is on the hunt for his very own Batman. This is his fourth, and last, year attending the party, though, and he’s worried he’s going to come home alone again this year, just like he has every year. Is there a Batman out there just for him?

Review:

This is a cute little Halloween themed story that made me snicker out loud when I read it. Ricky is prepping for his last “pairs party” and going as Robin, in a suit that has blow-up muscles. He has had a silly romantic dream that he will find his other half at one of these parties, and this is his last chance. And there’s not even another single Batman in the room. So he decides to drown his sorrows in cherry pie at a local diner. Who should arrive? But Batman.

A brief conversation and confirmation that both are gay, leads back to Ricky’s place and some sex. The humour came in as Ricky tries to get out of his pumped up costume. There’s not much to the story. Two guys meet, get together, and a short epilogue shows them a year later, but it was just cute and sweet. Both are nice guys, Ricky wants to find Mr. Right, while his roommate is happy to date around and attracts men like flies. So you just want Ricky to find his man.

It’s difficult sometimes to do a review for such a short story, but I recommend it when you want something light and fun, perhaps a palate cleanser after something heavier and with lots of angst. You’ll end up with a smile on your face, which is always a good thing.