Being an admin on GA, and especially recently with working on this news blog, I've "met" and gotten to know quite a few people. Renee Stevens not only is a great writer, she also has been a fantastic help with so many things on GA and helped me so much with this blog. I really enjoyed reading Roan's review below - especially as I first read Eternity on nifty, and remember waiting for each new chapter. Now I get to really know an author I admire.

Review by Roan

In my early introduction to GA, as a newbie, I was bewildered by the plethora of colours attached to people’s names on site and the different roles they indicated. Ignorant of what it meant, I defaulted into thinking people were only what their colour said, so Authors were authors (and came in many flavours) but Mods moderated and Admins administrated, and never the twain should meet. As a result early on I missed the work of great writers such as Lugh, Cia et al because I assumed they didn’t write.

After realising my error, I decided to deliberately look at the profiles of all these multi-coloured people and see what they wrote. While naturally attracted to a variety of genres, romance was not necessarily my home base, but remembering my earlier mistakes from too many assumptions, I was determined to click away without prejudice. As a result, when it came time to explore the profile of Renee Stevens, uber forum mod and all around organising force, I ignored my usual prejudices and went for it.

The romance genre is replete with cliché’, and gay romance is certainly not immune, so I always approach a romance writer with a degree of trepidation. Early on in reading the writings of Renee I learned I could safely set my fears aside, and I have been reading her work ever since. Eternity, one of her earliest works, is a good introduction to her style and to her talent for bringing a love story to life in a way that entertains and moves in equal measure, a combination I always find hard to beat. It showcases her ability to write a story where all things are in balance; romance is balanced with misunderstanding and tension, joy with disappointment, and the characters are a balance of good and bad.

The story begins not at the start of a beautiful relationship, but, jarringly, 2 years after the end of one, a first indication that this will not be standard fare. Kyle and Jared’s apparently solid relationship was cut short two years ago when one partner disappeared without warning. We enter the story now at a time fraught with tension, as they are reunited after this break but with the baggage of the past weighing them down. Their struggle to reconcile their continued feelings for each other with built up guilt and anger, and with the not always benign influence of family and friends, provides the emotional core of the narrative.

The story grips me firstly because it is written honestly. The characters are flawed, they make mistakes, they hurt each other even when trying to do the right thing. In short, they are human, and display all the human frailties alongside the strengths. They also live believably normal lives, complete with struggles and disappointments. It makes it easy to relate to the characters, and to draw them into your heart. The author strikes her usual balance here, giving the characters room to be hurt but also feel love.

Importantly for me also the consequences of the main characters sexuality are dealt with. In gay romance, there can sometimes be a false dichotomy presented in which the protagonists sexuality either has no effect on the plot at all or drives the plot and the characters’ lives entirely. Here we are presented with a love story first and foremost, but one in which the extra strains and effects on the protagonists lives and family relationships are melded into the story believably but not overwhelmingly and with a great sense of insight.

With that strong underpinning, the plotline involving mystery, mayhem and danger cracks by at a good pace, working with the emotional subtext to draw you in. Although a relatively short novella at about 60,000 words it still provides the opportunity to get to know the characters, enjoy a plotline with twists and the occasional shock, and be satisfied with an ending you feel the characters have deserved. While later stories by Renee may be more polished, this one still delivers on several levels and is well worth rediscovering whether you are a fan of Renee, of the romance genre, or simply like real world characters that make you care.

You can find the story here.

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