Hello, lovelies! It gives me great pleasure today to host Lucky
Stevens and his new book, “The Duplex”!
For other stops on his Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click
on the banner above or any of the images in this post.
Be sure to make it to the
end of this post to enter to win a $40 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Lucky
and to increase your chances of winning!
This eBook is on SALE
during the book tour for ONLY $0.99!!!
See below for more details.
Thanks for stopping
by! Wishing you lots of luck in this
fabulous giveaway!
The Duplex
by Lucky Stevens
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GENRE: Historical LGBT Fiction
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BLURB:
THE
DUPLEX is a thrilling tale, set in 1950s L.A., of four gay friends who hatch a
daring scheme to live life on their own terms, during a time of systemic
governmental persecution.
Los
Angeles, 1956. Shangri-La. Palm trees, swimming pools, movie stars. And if
you’re gay—persecution. In a society that demands conformity and lockstep
conventionality, gay people find out quickly and the hard way, how difficult,
dangerous and downright terrifying it is to be different.
So,
when the constant fear of arrests, evictions, job loss and ridicule become too
much, four gay friends and lovers pull together to hatch an ingenious scheme
designed to allow them to live freely, without harassment.
But
their secret plan is not without its flaws. Internal struggles and personality
conflicts conspire to make their situation harder and more life-altering than
any of them could have predicted, leading to valuable and universal lessons
about the high cost of blending in—or not.
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EXCERPT TWO:
With
the tone of the evening in its proper place, we exited the apartment.
As
much as I adore Cliff, I figured I better latch onto Jerry. I don’t know, he
just seems a little more like the babe-in-the-woods type. Besides that, it
would give me a chance to get to know him. So I stood next to him and slipped
my hand around his arm. I gave his bicep a little squeeze. “Ooh, al dente. Just
right.” He smiled, and I smiled back. Naturally Cliff and Dot paired up
themselves, and us girls held on to each fella’s arm as the men escorted us
down the stairs.
As
we headed to the car, I was happy to see that my landlady—her name is Mrs.
Tambler—was on her patio watering her flowers. She has always been a very nice
woman, but she can also be on the nosy side of the street. Because of this
fact, I have had to be careful with Dot, whom Mrs. Tambler has now seen
numerous times.
I
have told her that Dot is my closest friend, but I am not sure she buys it. For
one thing, Dot is quite beautiful and ten years younger than I am. A fact that
is a plus for me, but I think a little suspicious looking for Mrs. Tambler. I
also only have a one-bedroom apartment, so the idea of Dot spending the night
or ever moving in is strictly out.
In
any event, with “our men” in tow, I waved to my landlady good and hard in an
effort to build up some nice heterosexual brownie points for any possible
future mishaps. She looked more than pleased to see Dot and me hanging off the
arms of two handsome characters of the masculine variety, shall we say.
The
boys, for their part, were just swell. Opening our doors for us, helping us off
with our coats, the works. And the fact is, I think we all enjoyed it. It was
fun. And nice to be pampered for the night. The boys took care of everything.
It
was the perfect mixture too, of chivalry and flirting and teasing which was all
made possible by the incontestable fact that no one of the opposite sex was
attracted to each other. This is a situation that is very freeing. When there
is no chance of romance. No sexual tension. We just played.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MY BOOK REVIEW:
While
many people strive to be “normal,” four main characters find that the appearance
of being normal is the only way to survive in Los Angeles in 1956. However, their normal is more of a display
for the outside to show they are following society’s rules. This book exposes a time when being LGBTQIA
(Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual) in L.A. was
scary, dangerous, and terrifying. Four
friends come up with a brilliant plan to deter them from being harassed and
attacked by the police and society. They
decide to rent both sides of a duplex, pretend to be two heterosexual married
couples, when in fact they are a lesbian couple and a gay couple. They added a secret door between the two
homes so they could come and go with ease and no one would be the wiser that it
wasn’t two perfect couples living on each side.
I
really liked the story line of this book and found it quite creative and
entertaining. This idea could have
easily been a new TV show drama like Will and Grace, Partners, or
Please Like Me.
I
found the characters to be very realistic, authentic, and genuine. I could easily see these characters as real
people. They had real flaws, real problems,
and real lives. However, I didn’t necessarily
connect with them as I have never had to go through anything like they have. I couldn’t imagine being hunted down, entrapped,
and constantly have to be on guard for my safety or worry that society wouldn't approve of who I chose to date.
I also really liked that each main character, Jerry, Cliff, Dot, and Barbara each brought something unique to the group and the story line. Plus, each character went through many different experiences, and even readers, like me, that aren’t LGBTQIA, can still understand and/or relate to. For example, Dot’s mom is repeatedly asking her when is she going to marry? As a single lady in my early 30s, I certainly hear that question from family. Dot is only 24 and I probably have been hearing that question since I was at least that young lol. Or like Barbara and Jerry, whose co-workers are oftentimes trying to set them up with a friend or family member. I’ve certainly gotten that one lol.
I also really liked that each main character, Jerry, Cliff, Dot, and Barbara each brought something unique to the group and the story line. Plus, each character went through many different experiences, and even readers, like me, that aren’t LGBTQIA, can still understand and/or relate to. For example, Dot’s mom is repeatedly asking her when is she going to marry? As a single lady in my early 30s, I certainly hear that question from family. Dot is only 24 and I probably have been hearing that question since I was at least that young lol. Or like Barbara and Jerry, whose co-workers are oftentimes trying to set them up with a friend or family member. I’ve certainly gotten that one lol.
I
know the LGBTQIA crowd has always had it difficult, especially in current times
with Trump. But I had no idea that they
were so heavily persecuted and pressured to conform in the 1950s. Or that the police hired guys to pretend to be
gay to entrap gay men and have them arrested. Or that it usually went even further than arrests
and assaults – these victims would face losing their job, losing their home,
going to prison, humiliation, violation, and ridicule. If they were caught in any suspicion of gay
activity they were charged as so and/or had those notions broadcasted as an announcement
to embarrass them and create more backlash and hate. This was just ugly and horrifying!! I couldn’t imagine living in that kind of
fear. So, what these characters did to
protect themselves was genius!!
Unfortunately, with so many personalities clashing and the pressure of
having to keep so many lies it wasn’t long before it would all come crashing
down.
With all the scrutiny these characters faced it showed how
brave, strong, and inspiring these individuals were!! Definitely characters worth cheering for!!
I enjoyed the fun, silly, witty banter between the
characters! There were many LOL moments –
especially with Cliff being a sly, charismatic fella!
I also enjoyed that the author used old language from the 50s – like
doll, rube, mete out, etc. It made the story
feel more accurate.
There are some predictable scenes. However, there are still a few very
unexpected twists and turns that you won’t see coming!
I
liked that this book had many, but short chapters as they were well-written,
concise, and easily flowed. Each chapter
was told from a specific character’s point-of-view with four main characters in
total being featured. I liked this because
each chapter was titled with the character’s name, so it was easy to follow whose
story was being told. Plus, each
character had their own distinct voice which made following along smooth and
effortless.
This
book is on the longer side, at 311 eBook pages.
It does lavish on some details, but it is mostly to the point. I feel even though it was a long journey to
the end, every chapter and scene was needed to make this book the success that
it is.
This book is not currently listed as part of a book series. It can be read as a standalone. Thankfully, this book does have an enjoyable,
tidy ending.
All in all, I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend
it! I think all LGBTQIA readers,
historical LGBT fiction fans, and really anyone interested in an intriguing L.A.
historical read with four strong characters from different paths will like this
book too! So, add it to your TBR List
and get to reading - you won't be disappointed!
Did you find this review helpful?
If so, please, please, please mark it as helpful
on Amazon here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R16LREJ7TRDH0O
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AUTHOR BIO:
Lucky Stevens lives,
works and plays in exotic North America.
He has written three novels. He
was also a finalist in a nationwide screenplay writing contest. He was inspired to write The Duplex because
he wanted to tackle a subject that grappled with universal themes in a creative
and exciting way.
He can be contacted in the following ways – see links below.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CONNECT WITH LUCKY:
Email:
luckystevenswriter@gmail.com
Facebook:
Twitter:
Bublish:
BookBub Author Page:
BookBub Book Page #1:
BookBub Book Page #2:
Goodreads Author Page:
Goodreads Book Page:
Amazon Author Page:
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BOOK BUY LINKS
& BOOK SALE INFO:
**The Duplex eBook is on SALE during the book tour for ONLY
$0.99!!!**
Amazon Kindle eBook:
Amazon Paperback:
Barnes and Noble Paperback:
Kobo eBook:
Apple iBook eBook:
Google Play eBook:
AbeBooks Paperback:
The Book Depository Paperback:
BAM! Books-A-Million Paperback:
IndieBound Paperback:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFO:
Lucky will be awarding a $40 Amazon or B/N GC to
a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.
**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a
purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this
blog. This does not cost you anything,
it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**
This contest is sponsored
by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish
Promotions. Prizes are given away by the
sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish
Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
Lucky ~ Good morning! Welcome to FAB! It is so great to have you here! Congrats on your new book and good luck on the book tour! I enjoyed reading and reviewing your book, thanks for providing the copy! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate getting to hear about a new book. Thanks so much for taking time to share.
ReplyDeleteWhere do you do most of your writing?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing sounds good!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHow did you come up with the title of the book?
ReplyDeletewhat is the one word you can never escape the clutches of misspelling?
ReplyDeleteSounds good. Thanks for the review insight.
ReplyDeleteFun cover
ReplyDelete