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A review by ariadna
A Rose By Any Other Name by Charlie Cochet
2.0
New York City, 1927. Edward, sole heir from one of the wealthiest families, has returned home after dealing with a tragic event in Europe. As part of his homecoming/birthday celebration, his cousin and best friend take him to a super exclusive club/brothel that caters to queer men.
Initially scandalized by all the goings on, Edward is soon infatuated with Eros, a young man who is the star of the club. He decides to begin courting him. But the road to true love has many obstacles on it, the largest being a very dangerous gangster only known as Ares...
Gonna try to make this one as short and sweet as possible.
What I liked
+ The first 40% or so of the story.
In the beginning, it was a really entertaining read. You had dapper gents who like other gents, the hustlers whose most precious possession were their hearts, plenty of naughty scenes, and snappy dialogue. In some ways, I'd almost say this was the M/M romance version of a screwball comedy from the 1930s.
+ Some aspects of Edward and Julius' relationship
Edward and Julius played off really well off each other at first. Each man fulfilling different wants in each other (unrepressed sexuality in Edward, emotional comfort for Julius). It was neat that they both acknowledged Julius' job as a sex worker without having to play the shame/sinful card. Another thing I appreciated was that Edward never gave Julius any kind of ultimatums (something I despise in both books and real/offline life).
What I didn't like
- Everything else about Edward and Julius
Considering their ages and their experiences, it was a huge disappointment to see both of them become incredibly sappy once they became a couple. Like, to the point that I was embarrassed by what I was reading because it read so syrupy that it made cringe.
Even more annoying was that all that frothiness turned what had previously been a v. fiery chemistry into something toothless and flat.
- The rest of the book
Somewhere near the 53-55% mark, the book took one turn into several side streets culminating in Drama Llama Boulevard (with bonus!cheesy scenes).
At one point, there was this ridiculous and long scene (I want to say in either chapter 20 or 21) in which two characters break into the villain's place to retrieve some information. Rather than, you know, go in, snag what they're looking for, and get out, the two characters have a lengthy and flirty conversation without a care that they might get found out at any second. It wasn't suspenseful, just stupid.
Then, the villain roared, the cavalry was rallied, and it all culminated in a generic Hollywood ending.
Including such things as: everyone getting paired up exactly the way you'd expected, minor villains being punished in OTT ways, cameos from characters from the (way better) short story (only this time those guys are comic relief), total disregard for the way laws work (gotta say, I'm not surprised by this one BUT STILL).
TL;DR: I was really impressed by the prequel (the short story) as well as the first half of this book. But then, the plot went down the drain and my frustration grew all the way to the last page. Can't recommend.
Initially scandalized by all the goings on, Edward is soon infatuated with Eros, a young man who is the star of the club. He decides to begin courting him. But the road to true love has many obstacles on it, the largest being a very dangerous gangster only known as Ares...
Gonna try to make this one as short and sweet as possible.
What I liked
+ The first 40% or so of the story.
In the beginning, it was a really entertaining read. You had dapper gents who like other gents, the hustlers whose most precious possession were their hearts, plenty of naughty scenes, and snappy dialogue. In some ways, I'd almost say this was the M/M romance version of a screwball comedy from the 1930s.
+ Some aspects of Edward and Julius' relationship
Edward and Julius played off really well off each other at first. Each man fulfilling different wants in each other (unrepressed sexuality in Edward, emotional comfort for Julius). It was neat that they both acknowledged Julius' job as a sex worker without having to play the shame/sinful card. Another thing I appreciated was that Edward never gave Julius any kind of ultimatums (something I despise in both books and real/offline life).
What I didn't like
- Everything else about Edward and Julius
Considering their ages and their experiences, it was a huge disappointment to see both of them become incredibly sappy once they became a couple. Like, to the point that I was embarrassed by what I was reading because it read so syrupy that it made cringe.
Even more annoying was that all that frothiness turned what had previously been a v. fiery chemistry into something toothless and flat.
- The rest of the book
Somewhere near the 53-55% mark, the book took one turn into several side streets culminating in Drama Llama Boulevard (with bonus!cheesy scenes).
At one point, there was this ridiculous and long scene (I want to say in either chapter 20 or 21) in which two characters break into the villain's place to retrieve some information. Rather than, you know, go in, snag what they're looking for, and get out, the two characters have a lengthy and flirty conversation without a care that they might get found out at any second. It wasn't suspenseful, just stupid.
Then, the villain roared, the cavalry was rallied, and it all culminated in a generic Hollywood ending.
Including such things as: everyone getting paired up exactly the way you'd expected, minor villains being punished in OTT ways, cameos from characters from the (way better) short story (only this time those guys are comic relief), total disregard for the way laws work (gotta say, I'm not surprised by this one BUT STILL).
TL;DR: I was really impressed by the prequel (the short story) as well as the first half of this book. But then, the plot went down the drain and my frustration grew all the way to the last page. Can't recommend.