Editorial Review Product Description Lights, Makeup, Scripts, Costumes . . . Performances! Jet Mykles, J.P. Bowie and Kimberly Gardner entertain us with the magic and mystique of the theatre. From Shakespeare's gender-bending comedies to the glamour of a Musical Revue, we're whisked backstage for an intimate glimpse of the drama, romance and rumors (and maybe even a little mystery) behind the curtain. Find out what it takes for a man to carry off a skirt and heels. Follow the men who wait in the wings for those behind the fake breasts and makeup. BRAVO! BRAVA! ... Read more Customer Reviews (3)
Transvestite romances are rare and I appreciate these three stories!
Transvestite romance are rare in the M/M romance genre and I really appreciate this well written and entertaining anthology.
Mykles' About Something is refreshing as one young man discovers his sexual orientation and his gratification in cross dressing even as he tries to seduce his aloof and much older acting class professor. A bit of angst here as the older and world wise Roscoe afraid of being Shawn's gay experience refuses to succumb to his irresistible student. I find Roscoe's fears frustrating even as I root for Shawn's persistence to win his hunk. Maybe the ending could be more emotional but Mykles' writing style carries the story through seamlessly.
JP Bowie's Sometimes Life's a Drag is a nice surprise and one entertaining and fun story. The stars of the story is not the lovers, Patrick, the aspiring singer and his detective hunk, but one drag queen whom we could enjoy hating. This one is more mystery as is the writer's trademark and I never guessed the culprit. Very good indeed.
My favorite is the last story Woman's Weeds as it is truly a transvestite romance. The story may be short but it is so easy to love Kieran's sensual and slutty character as he finds love with David who loves him for who he is. Kieran's cross dressing and transformation are such sexy images. A bit of excitement in the plot but it is the sexy and sweet romance between Kieran and David which I love and I wish this one is an extended novel.
Bravo! Bravo!
"About Something" by Jet Mykles
Shawn Finnemore is a theater student who finally has a great leading role, Benedict in "Much ado about Nothing".Only there is a change in plans when he is asked to switch roles and do the female lead, Beatrice.Shawn isn't happy about this at first but is convinced to do it.Roscoe Schroeder, a director turned college professor is the man who decided early in rehearsals to switch the people playing the leading roles.It didn't hurt that Shawn is very cute with curly dark hair.Everyone knows that Roscoe is gay, but Shawn is surprised when he starts feeling things, especially passion, towards Roscoe.The play is a hit, but can Roscoe and Shawn find a way to be together when pathways seem to be leading another way?
"About Something" begins with an unusual casting, which leads to Shawn discovering several things about himself.I really enjoyed watching as Shawn ventured into a new world.I understood why Roscoe made the decisions he did, but I was worried that maybe a happy ending was beyond Shawn and Roscoe.I should never have doubted Ms. Mykles, Roscoe and Shawn's ending made me smile.A wonderful beginning to a dramatic anthology.
"Sometime Life's a Drag" by J.P. Bowie
Patrick Farland is auditioning as a singer in the new show at Kenny LaFontaine's nightclub.At this point in his career, getting a spot in this show would be a great boost.Patrick makes the show, but finds that Kenny isn't very nice behind his drag queen persona.Ian Bannister is a detective who gets Kenny's case when he is threatened.Ian has no intention of taking Kenny up on his advances, but he is more than ready to get personal with Patrick. Vindictiveness and danger take Ian and Patrick through an up and down courtship. When an arrest is finally made, will Ian and Patrick be able to keep it together and most importantly will all the parties involved get what is coming to them?
Not all drag queens are created equal and in "Sometime Life's a Drag" it is obvious.Patrick and Ian have an instant attraction much to the dismay of the nightclub owner.As much as I enjoyed watching Ian and Patrick coming together and dealing with life, I loved to hate one of the characters just as much.I was so wrong on the whodunit part, which added to the ending of the story,that again, I would not have guessed.Another dramatic story to capture your attention.
"Woman's Weeds" by Kimberly Gardner
David Sullivan is teaching, but his real love is being the director of his own community theater company, Fresh Voices.He started the group with the help of his sister.David is preparing to cast the next play and if that isn't enough, he just met a sexy guy unexpectedly, who is trying out for a part.Kieran Reilly might work at Macy's but he wants to act and he really wants the female part of this play.Reilly knows he can do it and now has to convince David and the rest of the company.It doesn't help matters that Reilly and David want to be a couple, but Reilly has a secret and it might affect how David sees him.When the curtain goes up, will all the players live happily ever after?
"Woman's Weeds" brings two very different people together with the love of theater.Reilly loves to act and has a very unusual lifestyle that has caused him problems before.David is kind of conservative in his teaching but can express himself through the theater group.I had to love it when Reilly decided to take actions into his own hands and talk to anyone that might have influenced David's decisions.I would have never thought that David and Reilly could make it together and I'm certain that is why they work so well together.A fantastic ending to a great anthology.
Bravo! Brava! is a wonderful collection of stories all centering on the dramatic world of entertainment.Not only did the stories take you from the beginning to the established but also from the world of the well known to the community groups.Anyone who loves the male/male world should put Bravo! Brava! on their must have list.All I can say is bravo to the writers and hope that somewhere down the road there will be an encore.
Jo
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed
Bravo! Brava! by Jet Mykles, J.P. Bowie & Kimberly Gardner
The common theme of this anthology are men in drags, for different reason and at different level.
About Something by Jet Mykles: Shawn is a cute college guy, maybe even too cute. He is an actor and he has always played in men roles, but now Roscoe, young director and college teacher, wants for him to play a female role. Why on earth he has that idea Shawn doesn't know, all right Shawn is a pretty man, but he is ALL man, he has plenty of ex girlfriend to prove it. Anyway, Roscoe is very good in prospecting to Shawn a big success if he does as he says, and Shawn agrees. On while on stage he dresses as a woman and speaks the words of a woman, his perception of Roscoe is changing: he starts to see the man in a different way than before, he is no more the cool young director who can give to Shawn the chance of his life, he is now a very handsome man that Shawn would like to know better. And so Shawn starts to "bring" home his role, he starts to dress as a woman even outside the theatre and every time is good to tease Roscoe. And Roscoe is easily teased, but he tries to resist, since even if Shawn is not so younger than him for age, he is new to the whole gay life scene, and Roscoe instead knows that he is ready for commitment.
Jet Mykles' story is light and enjoyable, there is not the usual angst of a college affair between a student and a teacher, Roscoe is not so worried to overstep his role, the real big problem for him seems to be that he doesn't want to awaken Shawn's desire for gay sex and then be dumped by the young imp. Shawn is a bit of a teaser, he is set to conquer his teacher and he really doesn't think on the future or on what it will happen if he manages to: he is focused on the moment and on the pleasure he can have; it's quite a typical behavior of a man so young.
Sometimes, Life's a Drag by J.P. Bowie: Patrick is a young singer who audictions for a role in a drag show. The one man show is Kenny, a forty something drag queen who is all you can expect from a drag queen who passed his prime age: bitch and jeloaus, always searching for reassurance that he is still the only real queen. And when Patrick not only unveal to be a lot better singer than him, but also steals the interest of Ian, a police detective Kenny was set out to conquer, the queen becomes a real bitch. There is also a murder to resolve, but it's not so interesting as to read the bickering between Kenny and Patrick. Patrick will be obviously the winner, but I have to say that I really like Kenny: Patrick and Ian are a good couple, they are right together, but who has really the more interesting role is Kenny. And I really like that, in the end, the author will give also to him a piece of cake.
This is probably one of the best short story I read by J.P. Bowie. It's not so romantic as other stories I read by him, but the small world of a show business made more of sweat than glitters, is skillfully rendered; it reminds me one of my favorite movie, Chorus Line, and all the characters, even the minor ones, were so fascinating... I was so waiting to see what would happen between Laurence and Albert.
Women's Weeds by Kimberly Gardner: David is a young director who is searching the right actor for a Olivia / Cesario in Twelfth Night, and when Kieran, the young and very pretty man he met the day before, auctions for the role, David knows that he will be perfect. Problem is that Kieran not only like to dress as a woman on stage, he likes to do that also in his everyday life; Kieran is like that, one day he awakens and he feels a man, the other day he feels like a woman, and he dresses up to his feelings. Kieran really likes David, but David has to accept him like he is, since Kieran can't change.
I like this little story, even if for sure Kieran is a lot more of a character than David. David is a nice background role, he plays well along Kieran, but it's Kieran that holds all the story. Kieran is young but I believe he has already clear who he is and what he wants in life. And he is not all over David in a desperate way: yes, he would like for David to be the one, but I believe that, if something would happen against his story, Kieran would have the strenght to close this chapter of his life and open another one.
All three stories are of very high quality, probably all of them would live without problem as independent story, but put them together, and you have a really nice anthology.
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