Dreamspinner Press, $3.99, ISBN 978-1-935192-34-3
Contemporary Romance, 2008
The affair between a gigolo and an older wealthy man is a common theme in gay fiction and movies. Most of those stories often have terrible endings, though, with the gigolo being beaten bloody by some deranged clients or something. There is where stories like Unstoppable Force step in. This one has a happy ending for all of you romantics at heart, which is probably the best reason to read this story.
Ethan Trent was born at the wrong side of the tracks but a lucky break and hard work enabled him over the years to become the millionaire that he is today. Preferring to conduct affairs that come with minimal emotional entanglement, he hires his bed partners through a discreet escort agency. When Cale Brooks shows up at his doorstep, however, Ethan is going to find himself too attracted to that man for his own good. Cale is a stereotypical rent boy character: he is on the run from an abusive cartoon villain, he is convinced that he is no good for Ethan, and as such, he is determined to play the martyr to love.
Honestly, I don’t really see how there is this supposed great affection between Ethan and Cade. Their relationship is mostly sexual in nature, so I’m quite taken aback when the two of them not only start acting like moony kids in love, they insist that they are greatly in love. How did that happen?
The author also allows her characters to speak in a manner that I find most unbecomingly sentimental. I cringe when Ethan launches into the following:
“The future. And even more importantly, the here and now. We plan on a future together and work to make all our dreams the reality we deserve. As for the here and now, I think we need to go into our bedroom and make love until we’re both too exhausted to move for at least a week.”
What guy in real life will speak like that?
On the bright side, the characters do approach their issues in a reasonable manner, talking to each other and listening when they have to.
To sum things up, Unstoppable Force is a decent read. The author is aware of her characters’ strengths and flaws and have them deal with their issues in a reasonable, if often heavy-handed, manner. This bodes well for the believability of the happily ever after despite the unconvincingly fast rate at which these two fall in love. The downside is the characters often speaking in bloated speeches that do not ring true. All things considered, this is an okay read for me.
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