The tradition of stories about men who are somehow “trapped” in who they think they should be, and where they live, continues in this third book of the ‘Tales from Kansas’ series. It was good to return to this small town that makes the story of The Wizard of Oz come alive via a few tourist attractions. I had fun getting to know Martin and Gary, and followed their developing relationship with interest. This volume contains a little more angst than the previous two, but it’s a soft kind of angst and the story’s focus is mostly on Martin’s gradual growth into being honest about who he is and Gary’s learning to trust himself – and, to some degree, Martin.

Martin has a pretty good life. He has a job that allows him to set aside some money to do the traveling he wants to do one day, he has a few friends, and he gets along well with his parents. But then everything changes when his dad is promoted, his parents have to sell the house so they can move to Houston, and Martin needs to find a new place to live. All his dreams of traveling fly out the window, and he suddenly feels trapped in Oz, with nowhere to go. In his frantic search for someone looking for a roommate he finds Gary, and they hit it off.

Gary is such a great guy, and yet life has treated him so badly. His family rejects him when he comes out, the man he thought he loved ultimately rejects him, and someone at work is stealing his tips, making Gary’s tight budget even tighter. He is an art student, and quite talented, but has to work as a waiter so he can pay his tuition and buy food. The roommate he took into the house he inherited from his grandmother is an a**, but luckily the guy flunks out of school and has to leave. I could totally see why Gary might be scared to take someone else into his home, but he has no choice. He needs the money.

Neither of the men want or expect anything more than friendship, but it appears Fate (or rather, Andrew Grey) has other plans. Martin doesn’t even admit to himself that he is gay, never mind anyone else, and the thought of coming out to his parents and losing their love and support petrifies him. Gary has already been disowned, but he is scared of falling for a man who will make Gary his dirty secret. Both men have a lot to learn, make quite a few mistakes along the way, but, luckily, they are both ready to help each other through the tough times.

If you like stories about men who have to learn to stand up for who they are, if you want to find out what it’s like to deal with the fear of being who you are, and if you’re looking for a slightly angsty read with sweet characters who truly deserve a happy ending, then you will probably like this novella.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
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