It Had to Be You

Rating:
Summary: Delightful and Enjoyable
Review: Finished the book in a day because it was such an enjoyable read.
Mr. Beck has created a wonderful character in Daniel and bestowed a colourful life on him as Daniel evolved from a small town nobody into a New Yorker somebody who finally found emotional satisfaction through friendship and love. The side characters are a joy to identify with. The author does such a great job in his description of New York gay and drag queen life that it is convincing, a joy to read yet touching and sad. The only critism I have is the love story of Danial and Blaine is a trifle short. But then it may be because I wished the book could have been thicker. I will definitely buy the second book, "He is the One" by Mr Beck...

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining but formulaic
Review: How many gay-themed fluff novels about devastatingly attractive gay men in their 30s living in New York are there on the market? This is another of that genre. Written, in fact, by four authors (two named Timothy, one named James, and one named Rebecca), it's a fine beach-read and most entertaining. I realized this early on, so was not disappointed, and will read more of their output in time. But it's purely entertainment, not "lit-ra-chah," and if viewed as such, will be quite satisfying to the reader. If, however, you're looking for something more pithy, look elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: A good debut, promising author
Review: I just finished this book yesterday. I bought it at the same time I bought Ben Tyler's "Hunk House" and of the two (despite Tyler's book being his second) this one definitely won.

The plot of the book and the character development were spotty, but the main character was definitely well developed. While the premise could have been anything, I think the author did a good job of fleshing out some issues that are real to many of us - changing careers, transitioning from the end of one relationship to the beginning of a new one, etc.

My major disappointments in the book were some of the plot choices (the token AIDS carrier, the snappy/bitchy dialogue and one-liners) and the cheeseball expression of love between the main character and his love interest. The only gay author I've ever read who was able to capture the expression of love between two fictional characters is Joseph Olshan in "The Nightswimmer" - the scene in this novel is, again, somewhat trite and cavity-inducing.

Either way, I did enjoy this book and look forward to the author's further literary exploits. Worth the read - but wait for the paperback.

Rating:
Summary: dull
Review: I really am not sure what the other readers actually read when they gave it 5 stars. Basically the book starts out quite well and the main character is developed in way that you like him. However, after about the first hundred pages Daniel becomes so introspective that I felt I was a fly in the wall at a session with his therapist.I found myself either totally daydream even as I read or skipping a few pages until the novel actually got back to a story.

About half way through the book I really lost interest when Daniel, after quitting his drag routine is given a job by his love interest. Not only is this highly improbable for someone who didn't even know how to turn on a computer and with only a high school diploma, but it is also ethically questionable.

There are no real conflicts in this story to keep you through the almost 400 pages. The main conflict was would Blaine find out about Daniel's past career as a drag queen. Who cares. Believe me, I'm the biggest proponent of gay novels and feel it is important to support our own. However, when the work in quaestion is so insipid and blatantly sappy it really irks me.

I really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately it did nothing for me. Do yourself a favor stay away.

P.S. - For a while there I was reading this book to help me fall asleep. that is how boring.

Rating:
Summary: Fun reading...highly recommended!!
Review: I've been wanting to read this book for a while now and finally got to it. I found it interesting and totally entertaining...for a gay fiction novel, which is usually not my thing.

The book brought out emotions in me that have been dormant for a while.

As a former NewYorker, I highly recommend it.

...

Enjoy!!

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful debut!
Review: It is great to actually look at the world through someone else's eyes. And this is what Timothy James Beck does. Daniel is a great protagonist and by the very first page, we are welcomed to see his world and step into his quite large high heels.

The novel is peppered with so many wonderful characters: the closeted love interest Blaine, the fresh-from-the-farm ingenue Sheila, the drag diva-in-training Martin and the dowager drag queen Ken. But it's not enough. You are left wanting more, needing them to live and breathe like Daniel does.

But it is a wonderful debut, reminding me of Rettenmund's Boy Culture as well as McLaughlin's Glamorpuss. I wonder what his second book, He's The One, has in store?

Rating:
Summary: A Man Finds His True Love
Review: This book was actually kind of boring. Nothing really happened throughout, not what I would call much of a novel. There's a lot of yada yada, but virtually no action.

Do you like romances? This is, I believe, a romance, but of a little bit different genre than the usual romance, since it deals with same-sex love.

Daniel Stephenson, the narrator of this dry saga, seems just like the author's alter ego. In that sense, it seems like an autobiography, and maybe it is.

Daniel moves from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and finds an extended family among the gay crowd of New York City. He finds a job as a female impersonator but loses it when the lady in question, Princess Diana Spencer, dies in a car accident (1997).

Daniel relocates to get a new lease on life in addition to his new property lease. He spots his dream man through a window across the way, and, guess what, Blaine is gay, too. And, Blaine has a good job, so he hires Daniel to be his assistant in a big advertising corporation.

This is the whole story, believe it or not. The big suspense is whether or not Blaine is going to discover that Daniel was once a female impersonator.

I read this book to try to understand homosexuality better. It didn't help a lot in that regard, but I am convinced now that these men really do fall in love with each other.

One thing about Timothy James Beck, he's definitely authentic. He had to live what Daniel lives through in this book, in order to write it. You may like it.

I found the book just really dull and had to speed read almost everything after the first half, when I realized nothing was going to happen.

Diximus.


Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Story of Finding Yourself, and Finding Love
Review: This morning, one of my girl friends called to discuss plans for the day. When she asked what I was doing, I hesitantly admitted that I was reading one of my gay romance novels, as I was in a "happy romance mood." (YUCK!) But this book was so good, that I had to admit it.

This first novel by Beck takes us through life with Daniel Stephenson, a young man from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, who ran away to Manhattan to follow his dreams. When we first meet Daniel, he's working in his refuge, a small garden off his apartment in Hell's Kitchen. He is lamenting the lack of direction in his life. At the forefront of his worries is that fact that after Princess Diana's death, he walked (or more appropriately ran) away from his life as Princess 2Di4, a drag queen of his own creation based upon Diana's life. Additionally, he is not quite sure that he has moved on after breaking up with his ex, Jeremy. The only thing holding him together are his close friends, his garden, and . . . "Five thirty-three" - the guy he watches from afar.

As with Beck's second novel, this is more than a love story. It's amazing how often I found myself understanding the emotions Daniel was going through regarding his future. Should he keep performing as 2Di4, when his heart wasn't there? Would his friends reject him? Was this just one more thing his family would latch onto to make him uncomfortable? Was he ready for a real relationship after the problems in his past? All these questions and more have swirled in my head, as they probably have in others. So although I have no comprehension of his struggles giving up his act as 2Di4 (I'm just not the dress-up kind of guy), I readily relate to his worries and concerns about the future.

What makes this story even better is that Daniel's friends are also explored fairly well, so we're not just left with random names dropped throughout the story. Whether it be Daniel's old friends, Ken and Martin, who worked with him in the drag shows, or new ones like Sheila (an aspiring model) and Blaine (his new interest). They all add to Daniel's story, making us see him through their eyes and words as well. My only wish is that Beck would write stories about all of them as well, just so I can feed my desire to hear more about these men and women.

You know, after reading "He's the One," and writing an Amazon review, I received a note from Beck, suggesting that I convince my boyfriend to buy this for me as well. That message was prophetic. He and I stopped in a book store after our Valentine's Day special dinner, and he bought this book for me. I'm here to tell you it was a wonderful gift. I anxiously await Beck's next novel, "I'm Your Man" later this year, at which time I will get my special guy to buy it for me as well! (Shhh, don't tell.) Until then, I may have to reread these a time or two. Hope you'll do the same!

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Story of Finding Yourself, and Finding Love
Review: This morning, one of my girl friends called to discuss plans for the day. When she asked what I was doing, I hesitantly admitted that I was reading one of my gay romance novels, as I was in a "happy romance mood." (YUCK!) But this book was so good, that I had to admit it.

This first novel by Beck takes us through life with Daniel Stephenson, a young man from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, who ran away to Manhattan to follow his dreams. When we first meet Daniel, he's working in his refuge, a small garden off his apartment in Hell's Kitchen. He is lamenting the lack of direction in his life. At the forefront of his worries is that fact that after Princess Diana's death, he walked (or more appropriately ran) away from his life as Princess 2Di4, a drag queen of his own creation based upon Diana's life. Additionally, he is not quite sure that he has moved on after breaking up with his ex, Jeremy. The only thing holding him together are his close friends, his garden, and . . . "Five thirty-three" - the guy he watches from afar.

As with Beck's second novel, this is more than a love story. It's amazing how often I found myself understanding the emotions Daniel was going through regarding his future. Should he keep performing as 2Di4, when his heart wasn't there? Would his friends reject him? Was this just one more thing his family would latch onto to make him uncomfortable? Was he ready for a real relationship after the problems in his past? All these questions and more have swirled in my head, as they probably have in others. So although I have no comprehension of his struggles giving up his act as 2Di4 (I'm just not the dress-up kind of guy), I readily relate to his worries and concerns about the future.

What makes this story even better is that Daniel's friends are also explored fairly well, so we're not just left with random names dropped throughout the story. Whether it be Daniel's old friends, Ken and Martin, who worked with him in the drag shows, or new ones like Sheila (an aspiring model) and Blaine (his new interest). They all add to Daniel's story, making us see him through their eyes and words as well. My only wish is that Beck would write stories about all of them as well, just so I can feed my desire to hear more about these men and women.

You know, after reading "He's the One," and writing an Amazon review, I received a note from Beck, suggesting that I convince my boyfriend to buy this for me as well. That message was prophetic. He and I stopped in a book store after our Valentine's Day special dinner, and he bought this book for me. I'm here to tell you it was a wonderful gift. I anxiously await Beck's next novel, "I'm Your Man" later this year, at which time I will get my special guy to buy it for me as well! (Shhh, don't tell.) Until then, I may have to reread these a time or two. Hope you'll do the same!

Rating:
Summary: An unforgettable story...touching, and a pleasure to read
Review: This was the most entertaining story I have read in ages! An excellent mix of lighthearted humor, touching drama, and a keen look into the modern gay world, told through the eyes of a very likeable and engaging character. The dialogue in this book cannot be surpassed...it flows as easily from the page into your heart as any conversation you might have with your dearest friends. Mr. Beck has given the reader a veritable "bag" of unforgettable characters, ranging from the eccentric to the down-to-earth, all woven into a very charming story that I found impossible to put down. I recommend this book to all people...however, I would add that it is a must-read for those in, or those touched by the gay community. The detailed and enveloping descriptions of gay life in the city, the drag scene, and the interwoven relationships between all of the characters...the extended "family" that so many gay people have come to rely on, is so accurate and heartwarming that I actually felt at-home within this wonderful story. My congratulations to Beck for an impressive and endearing tale that was an absolute pleasure to read.