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A review by couldbestephen
Jack and the Three Bears by James W. Berg
1.0
I almost rated this book 2 stars. I thought “Hey, his subpar writing style might actually work for this style of book!” I don’t expect a lot from smut. The characters and writing are just vehicles to get to the spicy scenes. But when the smut doesn’t hold up, you’re left with an unsatisfying novella on all counts.
Jack Horne and his friends help Jimmy Cricket, the moral compass of the group, find the love of his life at a gay campsite. Sex occurs. The fairy tale elements are crudely shoehorned in. A disappointing read all around.
The writing is exactly what you would expect from Berg. Tons of exposition (the first chapter/prologue reads like a bad dating profile introducing us to Berg— sorry, Jack), bad dialogue (HIS CHARACTERS NEED TI STOP “SCREAMING”), and weird pacing choices. Making everyone have a fairy tale counterpart was bizarre and I don’t understand the gimmick. Is this supposed to be urban fantasy?? Why is Baloo from Jungle Book here in human form?? Why did someone have a 15” penis?? I’m not convinced Berg actually likes sex or penises. Which is strange for a gay man writing mlm smut. Berg occasionally comes across as Puritanical when it comes to sex.
Problematic stereotypes abound in this 56 pg novella. Like with Don’t Break the Rules, we see one of the only named black main characters be a sassy, loud, drag queen who also acts as a mother figure to her gaggle of gays. The Asian character (Red) may be a trans man whose only goal in life is to “ride” men 24/7. Ricky Charming is a bisexual/pansexual man whose only goal in life is to get anyone into bed with him. Jimmy Cricket isn’t a problematic stereotype exactly, but I hate how Berg wrote him lol. Jack Horne is James W Berg himself, because no Berg story would be complete without Berg inserting himself into the story.
Wouldn’t recommend this book. It’s not good. Nothing here worth reading.
Jack Horne and his friends help Jimmy Cricket, the moral compass of the group, find the love of his life at a gay campsite. Sex occurs. The fairy tale elements are crudely shoehorned in. A disappointing read all around.
The writing is exactly what you would expect from Berg. Tons of exposition (the first chapter/prologue reads like a bad dating profile introducing us to Berg— sorry, Jack), bad dialogue (HIS CHARACTERS NEED TI STOP “SCREAMING”), and weird pacing choices. Making everyone have a fairy tale counterpart was bizarre and I don’t understand the gimmick. Is this supposed to be urban fantasy?? Why is Baloo from Jungle Book here in human form?? Why did someone have a 15” penis?? I’m not convinced Berg actually likes sex or penises. Which is strange for a gay man writing mlm smut. Berg occasionally comes across as Puritanical when it comes to sex.
Problematic stereotypes abound in this 56 pg novella. Like with Don’t Break the Rules, we see one of the only named black main characters be a sassy, loud, drag queen who also acts as a mother figure to her gaggle of gays. The Asian character (Red) may be a trans man whose only goal in life is to “ride” men 24/7. Ricky Charming is a bisexual/pansexual man whose only goal in life is to get anyone into bed with him. Jimmy Cricket isn’t a problematic stereotype exactly, but I hate how Berg wrote him lol. Jack Horne is James W Berg himself, because no Berg story would be complete without Berg inserting himself into the story.
Wouldn’t recommend this book. It’s not good. Nothing here worth reading.