Last Gasp

Edited by Erastes

Published by Noble Romance Publishing

223 pages

Review by Emma Harrison

Receives: 1/2

Last Gasp is a collection of four gay romance stories about an eclectic group of characters in various historical settings. Editor Erastes’ story “Tributary” is set in 1936 Italy on the cusp of World War II. Chris Smith’s “White Empire” is set in 1838, and protagonist Edgar Vaughan has gone to Hong Kong to become a missionary to escape the constraints of his idle rich family. Charlie Cochran’s “Sand” is set in Syria, where Charles has gone as a chaperone for his friend. Jordan Taylor’s “The Ninth Language” is set in the 1898 Yukon Gold Rush.

Of the four stories, I prefered Erastes’ “Tributary” because that story felt more authentic to me. That’s just a personal preference because all four stories were well written. I have to admit that I was not particularly attached to any of the characters, and I felt a distance there. I don’t know if that was intentional by the authors, representing how guarded these men needed to be, or it might also be a result of the fact that I’m not partial to romance as a genre. I find the plots predictable, first they don’t like each other, then they do, then they have to fight it, then finally they give into their feelings and fall into bed. To their credit, the authors of these four stories are able to expand past the traditional romance limitations, at least because the historical periods give the settings some interest. As I read these stories I thought the same thing I thought when I read Irene Reti’s Kabbalah of Stone—that it is good to see historical stories, in this case historical romances, that consider the experiences of gay characters. _______________________________________________________________

Emma Harrison is a writer who is starting a blog reviewing books, movies, television, and anything else that needs reviewing. Look for her blog coming soon.