ARC Review…..Bad Idea by Damon Suede

Book links:

Goodreads  ~  Dreamspinner Press

Synopsis:

Some mistakes are worth making.

Reclusive comic book artist Trip Spector spends his life doodling super-square, straitlaced superheroes, hiding from his fans, and crushing on his unattainable boss until he meets the dork of his dreams. Silas Goolsby is a rowdy FX makeup creator with a loveless love life and a secret streak of geek who yearns for unlikely rescues and a truly creative partnership.

Against their better judgment, they fall victim to chemistry, and what starts as infatuation quickly grows tender and terrifying. With Silas’s help, Trip gambles his heart and his art on a rotten plan: sketching out Scratch, a “very graphic novel” that will either make his name or wreck his career. But even a smash can’t save their world if Trip retreats into his mild-mannered rut, leaving Silas to grapple with betrayal and emotions he can’t escape.

What will it take for this dynamic duo to discover that heroes never play it safe?

 

My review:

Prologue:

No, that’s not a typo.  Yes, this may be the only review in the history of reviews that has a prologue, but I feel like a bit of backstory was needed here. You see, this story holds a HUGE spot in my heart.  Ginormous. It all began when my good friend, Rina, and I went to NYC for the day and were able to spend some time with Damon.  We had known him for a bit at that point and absolutely LOVE spending time with him.  He’s pretty incredible.   Rina and I were gearing up for a zombie run we were participating in a few weeks after being in NYC and naturally, this came up at lunch.  Zombies and burgers really go well together, apparently.  Anyway, here we are, chatting it up with Damon and talking about this crazy zombie run and apparently the thought of us running through the woods like loons being chased by people dressed as zombies sparked an idea.  So when you read this book, and you really do need to read this book, you may notice some familiar character names, oh say like, Jillian and Rina.  Yep….that’s us.  There are also two guys in this story who are quite familiar to me, Ben and Max….my real life husband and son.  So now you can see why this story holds such a huge spot in my heart.  Damon has not only written one hell of a story, he’s given me a tremendous gift in giving me the honor of being included in his work.  For that, I will be forever grateful and I have no words to describe what an honor it is.

Now, don’t worry, my review isn’t the slightest bit biased, I promise. I will admit that I was a bit nervous to read it, because what if I hated it and had to write a not-so-hot review!? Luckily, Damon is a talent beyond measure and gave me nothing but good things to write a review on……so, enjoy!

 

My review:

Bad Idea is the newest work from author Damon Suede and I was SO excited to be able to read an early copy.  Well, the excitement only grew from there and with every page after….this book was incredible.

Trip Spector is an uber talented comic book artist with an unhealthy crush on his straight editor and the secret longing to draw something other than the comic he has been drawing for years.  But Trip can’t bring himself to ditch the status quo.  He really is thankful for the success he has but it seems like something’s gotta give.  He’s not happy…really, truly happy.  His two best friends have been trying to get him into a relationship for what seems like forever, but he just can’t bring himself to jump into that just yet.  Show all his quirks and his insecurities with dating and life to a stranger?  Not likely.  Well, that’s until he’s dragged to a zombie run by those two best friends and meets Silas….suddenly the notion of staying single seems as ridiculous as a zombie not eating brains.

Special FX makeup artist Silas Goolsby has just about had it with his empty sex life and may be ready to look for something more.  He can hardly believe it himself, if he’s being honest.  But he’s had his share of meaningless fun and is ready to find someone to share his zest for life with.  He knows right away when he meets the shy, sneezing, allergy-laden Trip at the zombie run that he may have met just the guy he’s been looking for.  Now, he’s just gotta throw caution to the wind and make it happen.

The beautiful thing about Silas and Trip’s story is that is it just so real.  The feelings, emotions and insecurities are things most of us have gone through when starting a relationship.  It’s what Silas and Trip decide to do with all of that baggage that is a treat to read.  There were so many parts during this book that I hurt for these two. I wanted to hug Trip and reassure him that he was so amazing and to give love a chance.  I wanted to sit down with Silas and tell him to just bear with Trip and I had faith that everything would be ok.  That’s just how real they were to me.  I can’t think of any book couple that balances one another out more beautifully than Trip and Silas do.  Where Trip is shy, Silas is outspoken.  Where Trip is hesitant, Silas goes for it.  The best part though was seeing Trip’s personal growth thanks to Silas and their relationship.

The rest of the cast of characters is equally as fabulous.  Jillian and Rina are strong and loyal friends who love Trip like family and want only the best for him and for him to find real happiness.  Even one of the love-to-hate characters turned out to be a favorite of mine in the end.  So much depth was written into each personality, it played out like a movie in my head while I was reading.  I could picture it all.

I also want to add that the geeky, quirky aspects of this story were like pop culture gold!  So different and fun and fresh….I loved it.

In the end, this book left such a lasting impression on me.  I laughed and I cried and I fell I love with Trip and Silas.  Thank you, Damon….for giving us the gift of Bad Idea.

 

to sum it up:  Quirky and fun, emotional and sexy….Bad Idea was all that and so much more. It plays out like a romantic comedy chock full of comic books, superheroes and pop culture starring colorful and charming characters with easily relatable emotional baggage and relationship hang-ups.  I adored Trip and Silas.  I laughed with them and cried with them and they go down as one of my favorite book couples EVER.

 

Five Loves

 

About the author:

Damon Suede grew up out-n-proud deep in the anus of right-wing America, and escaped as soon as it was legal. Having lived all over (Houston, New York, London, Prague), he’s earned his crust as a model, a messenger, a promoter, a programmer, a sculptor, a singer, a stripper, a bookkeeper, a bartender, a techie, a teacher, a director… but writing has ever been his bread and butter. He has been happily partnered for nearly a decade with the most loving, handsome, shrewd, hilarious, noble man to walk this planet.

Damon’s first novel was published by Dreamspinner Press in 2011. Though new to M/M, he is an award-winning author who has been writing for print, stage, and screen for two decades, which is both more and less glamorous than you might imagine. He’s won some awards, but he counts his blessings more often: his amazing friends, his demented family, his beautiful husband, his loyal fans, and his silly, stern, seductive Muse who keeps whispering in his ear, year after year.

Cravings: sweetness that isn’t sentimental, wit that isn’t bitter, strength that isn’t cruel. Loathings: professional victims, half-assery, clichés. Damon is a proud member of the Romance Writers of America and the Rainbow Romance Writers. He would love to hear from you… you can get in touch with him here.

Email  ~  DamonSuede.com  ~  Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Dreamspinner Press  ~  Amazon  ~  The Romance Reviews(less)