It Had to Be You

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, Funny and Clever
Review: Timothy James Beck's first novel in the series of now three is an entertaining and heavily character-developed piece of gay fiction. The author (or authors I should say as TJB is actually a writing team of three) shows us the gay culture in NYC through the eyes of Daniel who evolves in to a more fully aware self-confident individual who I'm getting to like more and more. I actually read this book after He's the One, the second of the trilogy. It was interesting to read the back-story after you already know the characters. The story is told in a credible manner with the best theme being that of the development of the characters, yet again. This likely won't keep you up at night reading in to the early hours of the morning, but does make a good attempt at some light hearted humor and a story that makes gay readers feel good about themselves and sense the possibilities that surround us every day.

Rating:
Summary: A book 2Di4!
Review: When I read "He's the One," by Timothy James Beck, there was a character introduced that I was dying to learn more about: Daniel Stephenson. He had a realistic past, I identified with him a lot more than the main protagonist of "He's the One," and moreover, he was just a wonderfully developed secondary character with some great stuff in his written past.

Now I know why.

Turns out that "It Had to be You," is the story of Daniel Stephenson, getting up to just about the point where he's in in "He's the One." This was great, even if I did already know the ending as I'd read them out of order. Daniel is an easy-to-identify-with character for me (no buff jock, just a slim guy; no massively successful job, just an entry level second-attempt-at-a-career). He's still hurt over the betrayal of his last boyfriend, still a little damaged over the revelation that yet another friend is slowly dying of AIDS, and just about ripe for falling head over heels with the hunky guy across the street. Basically, he's a knight in slightly tarnished and dented armor (or at least a sequined gown).

The trouble being that the guy across the street lives with a woman, seems about as straight as they come, and probably won't react well to Daniel's previous career as a female impersonator who mostly did Lady 2Di4, a Princess Diana tribute. Uh oh.

The wit is just as sharp in this one as in "He's the One," - and just as often nicely balanced with some poignancy that doesn't over-sweeten to saccharine levels. And I must say I am now a firm fan of all things Timothy James Beck. I really hope to see more books out of him.

'Nathan