Rating: 
Summary: A great book that you won't want to put down!
Review: I didn't want this book to end and was so glad to find out that there was a sequel. I was very taken in by the main characters Ryan and Scott. The author does a very good job at making the store come to life. It was also a nice change to read a book that shows a young gay couple committed to each other. I only wish I had read this book when I was a little younger. I think everyone, especially gay teens could benefit from reading this. It is much more then your typical coming-out book.
Rating:
Summary: New Jersey Reviewer
Review: I finished this book last night before going to bed, and must admit it made me think all night long. Since the day I started reading it, I took every available opportunity to read as much as possible. I needed this book in front of me 25 years ago when I was around the age of Scott and Ryan. But, in those days they subject of coming out was nothing anyone talked about. There were no role models. The characters in this book were so real to me that in a way I felt that I am Ryan. This book provides a positive, truthful, realistic perspective on young life, and is well worth the time to read. It proves how important friendship, and love are for people gay or straight.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I hate to disagree with all the positive reviews of this book, but I did not find it worth the time or the money. Scott is so unbelievably secure in his homosexuality at the age of 16, he is boring. He does need to come out to everyone, and of course, in this perfect world everyone is cool with it. The novel is repetitious and monotonous. At least the author was able to get the style of a 16 year old - clumsy and awkward. And what he does to English grammar! Aren't there editors any more. Save your money on this one.
Rating:
Summary: Oh My God !
Review: I just finished this story and had to review it. This is one of the best books I've ever read. I'm Ryan's age (in the novel, of course) and can totally identify with his angst. You don't know how many times I cried while I read! Scott is the best boyfriend. I wish I knew someone like him. Maybe I will some day. I can't say enough good things about this story, but if you read it, you'll know why I'm keeping it on my nightstand for awhile. I'm getting the sequel "Into This World We're Thrown" today.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book for a first novel
Review: I loved this book. I was so compelled by the story that I found it extremely hard to put down. It kept me reading page after page. I especially like the references to other science fiction novels such as Dune. Being a SF nut myself, I really enjoyed those little things. I think that many people can identify with both Ryan and Scott. I saw aspects of myself in both and I don't think that it is too far of a reach to say that almost all people gay or straight can identify with aspects of the characters.
I recomend that you buy the sequel too. I bought them together and was not dissapointed. I only wish that there was more to read about Scott and Ryan. I can only hope that there will be a third novel somewhere down the line.
Rating:
Summary: Nice, Very Nice...and Sexy
Review: I notice that reviewers have oddly polarized viewpoints about this novel. Well, here are my two cents. This novel is brilliant. Why? It thoroughly fleshes out two very different characters, brings them together with skill (it's certainly not amateurish), and places them right smack into a gay teen relationship. The dialog that one reviewer mentioned that he didn't like was completely necessary for us (the reader) to get a full flavor of these wonderfully created characters. I knew they would eventually peel off each other's clothing. That was obvious after they met. But I had a load of fun watching the little games they played, the coy testing of uncharted territory, and their breathless discovery. When they finally shed the masks and revealed who they are to each other I had a total understanding of what they were going through and who they were. So what if I read over 100 pages to get to that point! And once they shed their facades (and their clothes) the story got even better. Mr. Kendrick allows us to explore their bodies, but we also look inside each of their hearts to see what makes them tick. That's not something I often get to read in this genre. I was enamored with the mixture of teen and adult humor, dialog, and slang. It was fun watching these two boys living in the closet, yet being able to edge out of it, if ever so tentatively at first. It was like looking into my own head at their age. Alas, if only I had had the opportunity to have the thrilling emotional relationship (...) Scott and Ryan had when I was their age. I have to say that one of my favorite characters was Frank toward the end of the story. I had an older friend like him during my late teen years. He was a lifesaver if ever there was one. In fact, my `Frank' is the reason I came out - and found a rich and rewarding gay life waiting for me. Ah, Scott. If only you were real. I would so much like to have had you as my friend when I was seventeen.
Rating:
Summary: Nice, Very Nice...and Sexy
Review: I notice that reviewers have oddly polarized viewpoints about this novel. Well, here are my two cents. This novel is brilliant. Why? It thoroughly fleshes out two very different characters, brings them together with skill (it's certainly not amateurish), and places them right smack into a gay teen relationship. The dialog that one reviewer mentioned that he didn't like was completely necessary for us (the reader) to get a full flavor of these wonderfully created characters. I knew they would eventually peel off each other's clothing. That was obvious after they met. But I had a load of fun watching the little games they played, the coy testing of uncharted territory, and their breathless discovery. When they finally shed the masks and revealed who they are to each other I had a total understanding of what they were going through and who they were. So what if I read over 100 pages to get to that point! And once they shed their facades (and their clothes) the story got even better. Mr. Kendrick allows us to explore their bodies, but we also look inside each of their hearts to see what makes them tick. That's not something I often get to read in this genre. I was enamored with the mixture of teen and adult humor, dialog, and slang. It was fun watching these two boys living in the closet, yet being able to edge out of it, if ever so tentatively at first. It was like looking into my own head at their age. Alas, if only I had had the opportunity to have the thrilling emotional relationship (...) Scott and Ryan had when I was their age. I have to say that one of my favorite characters was Frank toward the end of the story. I had an older friend like him during my late teen years. He was a lifesaver if ever there was one. In fact, my 'Frank' is the reason I came out - and found a rich and rewarding gay life waiting for me. Ah, Scott. If only you were real. I would so much like to have had you as my friend when I was seventeen.
Rating:
Summary: Worth the Price of the Book
Review: I read this book a few months ago and I could not put it down. It kept my interest. It is a story between Ryan and Scott, and with out giving it away well just read it for yourself it is a heartwarming story I could feel all the emotions Scott and Ryan were feeling. Also I could identify with each of the charactors, this is a well written book and it is so true the feelings the charactors were feeling. I look forward to reading more of Mark Kendrick. Really you will enjoy this book READ IT!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Amateurish writing
Review: I read this book based on the positive reviews from this board and try to read it from a teenagers' point of view. I was bored with it instantly. Bad grammar and even worse dialogue between the characters! For teenagers who are insecure about their sexuality and themselves or virgins they sure seem to be experts at sex acts, which is very graphic and "porn-like". The whole book felt like one of those soft-porn novels women read on the beach; fluff. I only finished it out of hope that it would get better but it didn't and I quickly donated it to the library. There are better novels about coming out and first time gay relationships, Maurice being one of them.
Rating:
Summary: Breezy and Oh-So-Sexy
Review: I think the highest praise an author can receive are the words, "This book is very readable." This book, Desert Sons, is very readable! It's also very very steamy. Erotica tends to bore me because it can seem repetitive, but Mr. Kendrick has, first and foremost, written a very good story. As a result, the sex scenes, explicit but not graphic, make a good book even better!
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