Strawberries for Dessert (Coda) Paperback – Import, 6 Aug 2010

Marie Sexton is one of my favourite authors so I was anxious to read her latest novel and I wasn't disappointed. I like the way she continues to link up characters from previous novels (in this case Jared from "Promises" - albeit his "appearance" is only in the form of e-mails between him and his previous part-time lover, Cole, but it was nice to have the connection there) as well as Jonathan, Zach's ex-lover from A to Z. It's like reading (and caring) about old friends. While "Promises" will always be my favourite book by this author, "A to Z" and "Strawberries for Dessert" come a very close tied second.

Many gay love stories rely on some external drama for their interest - interspersed with sex scenes which, however enjoyable, are almost an add-on. Not so this book which traces an unlikely but highly credible love affair between the conservative Jonthan and the more flamboyant Cole. All the drama of the story is in the unfolding of the relationship between these two attractive but complicated men and the erotically charged sex scenes fit perfectly with the overall relationship. Marie Sexton draws her characters well: they are rounded and subtle and draw the reader in to a compelling story. One of her best.

Even though I can't really pick a favourite from this fabulous series I do have a strange fondness for Cole who may appear to be flip, 'flaming' and uber sarcastic but underneath is far more layered than meets the eye. This is definitely the best opposites attract story I've read in gay romantic fiction and I loved how these two ultra different characters finally came together to make the perfect fit. A wonderful addition to the series and again a must read.Jon and Coles story - Gorgeous!

I don't like camp and effeminite....I must admit to being more than a little in love with Matt from the first book in this series, "Promises". But, d'you know...I really enjoyed it. Cole may be a theatrical little queen and probably the last person on earth I'd want to associate with, but by the end of the novel I found myself actually liking the character. Another great read in the Coda series by Marie Sexton.

Don't be put off by the beginning. This book slowly builds to be a deep and often perceptive story.

I have always been more than a bit nervous about the very camp gays and started this book with a lot of of apprehension, but I should not have worried. It is so beautiful written that I could not but love the two main characters. My sympathies were with them all the way.

Decided I'd go ahead and purchase despite thinking it was a little over priced and wish I hadn't and could return. The book is nice enough but there is one line that bothers me so much it's rendered it (and the author) unreadable.

I have read the all the series and enjoyed all 5 stories, but my absolute favourite is this 1 strawberries for dessert with Jon & Cole

... and boy, are Jonathan and Cole opposites. While Jonathan is disciplined and strict, a workaholic with plans for his future (maybe this plans contain some fun, but for now it's work, work, work), Cole is the "I enjoy my life" millionaire. Well, and he likes his clothes in all colours, is feminine and the living cliché of a fairy. It takes some time for Jonathan to notice that behind Cole's mask of a fairy playboy are his shyness and insecurities and his real self. But then he wants to win him over. But Cole doesn't trust easy ...Funny dialogues, a fairy gay boy who likes to confront people and an old-fashioned workaholic: a good read not only for rainy days.

OMG - i think this is the best so far in this series and i wasn't so sure i would like Cole or Jonathon from their previous appearances in the earlier books. However getting to know them properly in this one, totally changes your perspective on both of them. I loved every word of this book, I laughed and I cried, often. It is touching and sweet, and despairing as well. A true rollercoaster of emotions. I wish I had more stars for this one. I'm off to read the next one Paris A to Z now. Paris A to Z

業界でそこそこ有名な作家さんであるマリー・セクストンである。なんで有名かはよう知らないが、おそらくこの「コーダシリーズ」の人気によるのではないかと。アテクシ、一応シリーズの一作目は読んでいる。本書はシリーズ四作目だが、その間の話やキャラは知らない。一作目を読んでおれば差し支えないようである。で、チェックをばしてみたらば、アテクシはこの作者さんを知らずに他に三作ほど読んでいて、いずれも辛く評価していた。「ストーリーテラーじゃなくて、真面目で地味でイケてない」と。その評価を変える気はないし（おひ）、今後も他作品を読むことはない思うが、この作品は良いざんす。一番の成功作なのでは。本書では作者さんの「真面目」さがかなり良い方に出ている。内容解説は他のレビュアー様がして下さってんで有り難く省く。オカマちゃんとマッチョ系ゲイの恋愛だ。英語で言うと「フェム／fem」と「マスク／masc」どすな。ちょっと難癖をつけると、冒頭でゲイ友が二人のブラインドデートのお膳立てをするって設定だが、ゲイ友がフェムとマスクの友人同士を無闇にくっつけようとするってのはあり得ない。マスク系がフェム系を嫌いだってのは常識。スリム好きの友人に太めの女性を紹介して「どっちも異性愛者だから上手くいくはず」と想定するようなもん。しかしそこらへんに目を瞑って読むと、両者の対立と和解、その過程での心理の綾等、緻密だし、誠実に丁寧に描写されていて、身につまされる部分がある。オカマ系とマッチョ系の対立、マッチョ系がオカマ系に対して抱く嫌悪感等、まあ今後も引き続き解決しない対立だろうが、どちらにも言い分はある。どちらのキャラもヒューマンやし、生活実感があるし、孤独感も含めて社会の中で生きている重さがある。さすが真面目やね、作者さん。真面目な作者さんだからか、語り部のジョンの実直さとかフツーさなんかもリアルだし、彼と父親との関係、明確な対立はないが奥歯に何か挟まってる微妙な感じなど上手い。この父も凄くええキャラや。で、なんで五つ星やないんだという話だが、理由は以下。テーマ性は買うし二人の関係性はリアルなんだけど、「それだけ」って感じがしなくもなくて、ストーリー的には単調なのである。全体的に冗長でハイライト感がない。英語圏BLは冗長が定番なんでこの作者さんだけの問題ではないんだが、同じようなエピソードを何度もリピートされるんで飽きてくる。三度で十分なエピソードが五度、六度と繰り返し出てくる（オカマちゃんの放浪癖が繰り返し強調される）。まあそれから、これはアテクシの紛れもない狭量さで、オカマ系が苦手だから。本書のオカマちゃんの口調や口癖など読んでいていちいち耳に響いてくんで参ってしまった。ま、逆に「BLにおいてなんでオカマ系は鬼門か」とかとか考えさせられて興味深かったが。という訳で、アテクシのオカマちゃん差別が反映された四つ星。

Coda Seriesの4番目。スタンドアロンなので、どの作品を読んでも楽しめるが、本作を読む前に1番目の『Promises』を読むことをお勧めする。主人公は父親の莫大な財産を受け継いでいる青年Coleと、真面目な会社員Jonathan。共通の知人（このシリーズの他の本の主人公たち）の紹介で知り合うことになる。Coleは自由奔放でおかまキャラ。おかまキャラが主人公のBLは初めて読んだのだが、このキャラがすごくいい。お金はあるが、両親の愛に飢え、恋をしても相手がお金目当てだったりと長く続いたことがない。旅行が趣味で各地に現地夫（？）がいる。そんなコールに対して真逆なキャラのJonathan。真面目で男気があって、レストランで食事しても、自分が払おうとする。Coleを特別扱いせず、ただ一緒に食事をしたり本を読んだり、セックスしたり、楽しい時間を過ごす。初めはただのセックスフレンドだったが、だんだんとお互いの魅力に惹かれていつしか本気になってしまって・・・。Coleは何度も辛い思いをしているので、本気の恋をするのをためらう。Jonathanも、ゲイであることを同僚や上司に言っていないので、いかにもおかまのColeと外でデートするのを恥ずかしいと思ってしまう。お互い今までに付き合ったことのないタイプなのでぶつかることも多い。JonathanがColeに「なんでもっと普通にしていられないのか。俺に恥をかかせるつもりか」ってひどいことを言った時のColeの言葉が胸をうつ。なぜColeはおかまキャラに拘るのか。Coleはかなりのツンデレタイプだが、そこがいい。素直じゃないColeがJonathanだけに見せる姿に感動する。ぜひ！一読を！

Yes, five stars for a flat-out m/m romance. Why? Because it’s expertly done, with the perfect amount of hot and sweet, and offers marvelous characters you can really fall in love with.Well, one character. I still think Jonathan Kechter is sort of a jerk. Cole Davenport, on the other hand, is glorious. It’s a pretty pared-down story – “straight-acting” career-driven accountant meets flamboyant amateur chef for a disastrous blind date. Neither is the other’s type, and yet…What makes this simple romantic story arc work is the two men – learning about them, digging into their hearts, understanding why they are the way they are. Jon is almost as emotionally stunted as a straight guy (forgive the cliché), but nonetheless has intimations of his father’s emotional “ghosts” and Cole’s complicated emotional defenses. Cole, whose intuition is sharp as a knife, nonetheless is expert at convincing himself that he doesn’t want what he wants; or doesn’t deserve it, somehow. Jon still feels the pain of his ten-year-old breakup with his college boyfriend. So he sacrifices his personal life to his job and never complains. Cole simply doesn’t know what it’s like to be loved – really loved – by anyone. So he spends his money and keeps moving.As I always say, romances are like landscapes – they’re all essentially the same thing; it’s the skill of the artist that makes them unique and beautiful. Marie Sexton is really good at this, and tugged at every heartstring in just the right way.

Another terrific book from Marie Sexton. I really enjoy authors whose writing gets better with each book. While I thought Promises, A to Z, and The Letter Z were all terrific, Marie really hits the ball out of the park with this one.In this story, Jonathan, Zach's ex, and Cole, Jared's "friend with benefits" get together on a blind date which is a total disaster. Even so, they manage to overcome obstacles; this book is the story of their 18 month journey to become a couple.The book is written from Jonathan's first person POV but we come to learn what Cole is thinking and feeling from a series of emails that he writes to Jared. It's a very effective device and works better than the alternating POV of Zach and Angelo that was used in A to Z and The Letter Z--primarily because I didn't have to suffer through the irritating first person dialect that Marie used to write Angelo's parts. (I really, really like Angelo but I hate the way he comes off sounding like an ignorant hick. But I digress...)Cole and Jonathan have very small parts in the other books (although Cole does have one significant scene in The Letter Z that I went back and re-read while I was reading Strawberries for Dessert). In the previous books, Jonathan didn't come off as particularly likeable (he dumped Zach) and for the first 50% of this book I wanted to wring his neck. Cole, on the other hand, I liked from the start although my heart ached for the "poor little rich boy" who lived his life like a cliche, mostly because he didn't know any other way to live.Like I said, I have enjoyed all four books and although none are perfect, I think Strawberries for Dessert is the best so far. Promises was marred by an over-the-top action scene near the end that I thought was unnecessary; A to Z and The Letter Z had the Angelo dialog (noted above) which was annoying but not a dealbreaker. In Strawberries for Dessert, I suppose the endless discussions of food and wine might bother some people--but since I enjoy food and wine, it didn't bother me! I almost wish Marie included some of Cole's recipes...I'd love to know how to make Sauteed Pasta with Lobster. Yum! I also enjoyed Cole's emails and the endless variations he had to refer to Matt: "your big angry cop," "that big bad cop you live with," etc. It was very funny and a nice touch of humor when things got a little too angsty.All in all, a terrific book. Definitely recommended. Even though this is Marie's fourth book and uses previously introduced characters, I think this could easily be read as a standalone. In fact, if you read this one first and then go back and read the others, you'll be able to see how much her writing and storytelling has improved over the course of the series.Five stars and a spot on my "I'll read this one again," shelf.

STRAWBERRIES FOR DESSERT by Marie Sexton.STORY BRIEF:Cole is a flamboyant effeminate acting gay man. Jon is an uptight accountant who works long hours and travels a lot. Jon's gayness is not obvious to others. Jared, a friend of Cole's, suggests the two meet - a blind date.REVIEWER'S OPINION:Most of the story is their relationship. I enjoyed it. I liked their differences. Jon was having problems with Cole's effeminate actions in front of others. I loved how it was discussed and resolved. I also liked events relating to Jon's dad. I liked the thoughts and actions when Jon's employer wanted him to relocate.This is told in first person by Jon which is not a favorite for me because Coles' point of view is missing. But I liked the way the author used emails from Cole to Jared to provide Cole's thoughts. That was smartly done, but it was only a few times. I wanted more of it.One of my pet peeves is a character breaking up with another because he fears being hurt in the future. The couple's break up had some of this, but I was surprised that it didn't bother me much (but a little). Cole had such unusual emotional issues and problems that his weird actions kind of worked.There were many short sex scenes - toward the sensitive caring loving side - two men together including rear door activity.DATA:Narrative mode: first person Jon. Kindle count story length: 5462 (625 KB). Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: 12. Setting: current day mostly Phoenix, Arizona. Copyright: 2010. Genre: gay male romance