Slash Fiction Recs: An Unexpected Vintage

Posted by xisney on Jun 12, 2012 in Slash Fiction Recs |

Slash Fiction Story Information

Title: An Unexpected Vintage
Author: Andrew Grey
Page count: 204
Rating: NC-17
Link: This slash fiction story is for sale on Amazon.com!

Spoiler free Synopsis:

Kobo’s slash fiction synopsis reads:

Gary Keller is enjoying a cruise with new friends when he meets Scott Haworth, and unexpected attraction flares between them. But Scott has a past he’s trying to leave behind.

I say:

Self-conscious Gary moves to a new city and, after giving a client an unexpected vintage of wine, he makes fast friends with a group of people. They then go on a cruise wherein Gary meets a mysterious sex bomb.

What’s the smut like in this slash fiction?

It’s pretty decent and well-paced throughout the novel. There’s a variety of different activities (including phone sex!) though no real fetishes. The smut’s fairly detailed, but it gets vaguer and drifts more into purple prose as the slash fiction novel goes on. It also gets a little sloppy. Grey actually uses the line, “…and letting [him] have his erotic way with him.” He even uses “erotically” more than once to try to add spice. I was not impressed.

There’s quite a few “the camera turns away” moments wherein we want to see them screw, and it’s more frustrating than titillating. The dialogue during the sex is definitely not my thing; it’s very fragmented and awkward. It undermined the mood for me, but maybe you won’t mind it? It happens more often later in the novel, not so much at the beginning.

What’s the plot like in this slash fiction?

While the overlying plot is ~*Will Gary ever find love*~ and ~*Will it be with this mysterious man*~, there’s several little subplots that try to keep you interested while the overlying plot gradually becomes more and more established. However, the story tends to drag around the end as the smaller subplots are wrapped up and it tries to keep the overlying plot interesting despite the fact you know how it’s going to end. I lost interest in the plot a little over halfway through the book, but the characters are endearing enough to keep me reading.

Would I read this slash fiction story again?

I’m not sure I would. I might skip to the juicy bits.

What is my overall impression of the slash fiction story?

Overall, I really enjoyed it! The ending was still pretty weak, but it wasn’t unsatisfactory. I genuinely cared about all of the characters and, even if some things were a bit convenient, the story wrapped up well. I just think it could have been wrapped up nicely a lot earlier. The sex is generally well paced throughout the novel and it’s generally a fun read. The book is just very much fluff.

Would I recommend this slash fiction story?

If you’re looking for a light, fun slash fiction read, yes I think you would enjoy it. It’s long enough to develop characters and it does its best to keep things interesting, but go in with low expectations and I think you’ll be happy. And you might want to hide the cover if you’re reading it on the beach.

Do you have a differing opinion? Do you agree? Do you just have something to say? Please don’t hesitate to give different views in the comments! That way if someone browses the comments, they might avoid or read the slash fiction story based on what you’ve recommended instead of me!