King Perry

July 14, 2013 by Pip

Title : King Perry

Author : Edmond Manning

Series: Lost and Founds, Book 1

Publisher : Dreamspinner Press (BUY HERE)

Genre : M/M, Contemporary

Length : 350 pages (e-book)

Published : February 26, 2012

Blurb:

A book from “The Lost and Founds” series.

In a trendy San Francisco art gallery, out-of-towner Vin Vanbly witnesses an act of compassion that compels him to make investment banker Perry Mangin a mysterious offer: in exchange for a weekend of complete submission, Vin will restore Perry’s “kingship” and transform him into the man he was always meant to be.

Despite intense reservations, Perry agrees, setting in motion a chain of events that will test the limits of his body, seduce his senses, and fray his every nerve, (perhaps occasionally breaking the law) while Vin guides him toward his destiny as ”the one true king.”

Even as Perry rediscovers old grief and new joys within himself, Vin and his shadowy motivations remain enigmas: who is this offbeat stranger guiding them from danger to hilarity to danger? To emerge triumphant, Perry must overcome the greatest challenge alone: embracing his devastating past. But can he succeed by Sunday’s sunrise deadline? How can he possibly evolve from an ordinary man into King Perry?

A Bittersweet Dreams title: It’s an unfortunate truth: love doesn’t always conquer all. Regardless of its strength, sometimes fate intervenes, tragedy strikes, or forces conspire against it. These stories of romance do not offer a traditional happy ending, but the strong and enduring love will still touch your heart and maybe move you to tears.

Review:

Before you start reading this please check all your expectations at the front cover (which is beautiful). This is not a romance novel, it is most definitely and without reservation a love story. King Perry is a tale about acceptance and forgiveness. The story is about Vin helping Perry learn to accept himself and forgive those in his life, including himself, probably himself most of all. It is about learning to accept the disappointment and pain that have caused him to close himself off from love and life so that he can become a Found King. It may make you question your own place in the world. It will definitely make you laugh and probably make you cry.

The first time I read this amazing book I stated that I would hesitate to call it a book; it’s more like an experience (would Vin like that X word? I think he would although he would probably call it an adventure instead). It’s almost impossible to describe and I think every person that reads it will have a singular experience. I hope you decide to join in because it is so worth it.

Early on Vin makes the following comment:

“It’s hard to categorize the half expressions, the ones which reside in between.”

I think that sums up the book as well, you can’t categorize it and large parts of the story reside in the in-between. But finding and deciding what parts of the in-between speak to you is part of the journey. If you love language just for the sake of it you will find so much to appreciate about this book. The use of words and Vin’s love of some words and letters (like the aforementioned X) and dislike of others (K is very ugly letter for Vin) will intrigue anyone that has ever had a visceral response to language. I thought I was odd in that response so finding a character that actually reacts that way made me a little giddy.

Vin also says:

“There should be a word for an attitude between snobbish and unconscious, describing someone who doesn’t realize how strongly he holds his own opinions.”

and

“I wonder sometimes why we don’t have more words to express forgiveness. The words we use are so trite, so limited. […] Where are the words for those shifts that later evolve into full forgiveness?”

I love the celebration of language reflected in those quotes; the recognition that while words can say so much they are often too limited in their meaning.

Edmond Manning paints pictures with words and sometimes they are strange or painful to look at and sometimes they are breathtaking in their beauty. His ability to make me visualize his intent has only, possibly, been surpassed by the great writers of our time.

Vin states:

“Every corner of the sky awkwardly showed up wearing the exact same thing, a moody gray dress accessorized with flat clouds.”

and

“But then he’s back into the song, slow skating in thick, luscious curves, making more room. Solid oak notes tether earth to sky with stunning richness everywhere, ocean and heaven fall victim to the sun’s dazzling array of diamond-tipped beams.”

The pictures created are solid and real yet I know that there is more behind them; the depth of feeling goes beyond the visual.

This book made me cry more than any book I can remember; sometimes because the images and feelings were so incredibly beautiful that I was overflowing with emotion that had nowhere else to go and sometimes because my heart hurt so much I couldn’t stop myself. I was alternately irritated, unbalanced, hurt, and in love, and this happened throughout the book, sometimes within one paragraph.

It was an incredibly strange and wonderful ride and I know I will read it again and again.

Once more:

“And secondly, have you ever done anything so significantly outrageous, so beautiful and insane, that on days when your life feels dull, these shining moments leap out? Do you have an answer to the question ‘Did I live? Did I touch the world?’”

This book made me want to answer those questions; it made me want to find significantly outrageous and beautifully insane things to do so that I can say “I touched the world!”.

Rated 5 stars by Guest Reviewer, Allison