Quarter Finalist
Assessment:
Plot/Idea: In this fetching queer romance, Merrill alternates chapters between Arthur and Ethan to expose their hang-ups and reveal their growing affection for each other over a period of two weeks. The novel executes trademark romance beats in a tender, often funny way, which is sure to satisfy readers.
Prose: Merrill crafts two distinct voices for her couple–vulnerable and innocent Ethan contrasts well with acerbically funny and loyal Arthur. However, the pace of the story can lag when interrupted by too much extraneous exposition or when the spotlight shifts to the side characters who, while lovable, take away real estate from our main couple.
Originality: Merrill subverts potential conflicts regarding workplace romance and other power dynamics by shifting these conflicts into opportunities for conversation and exploration of a character’s vulnerabilities and anxieties. The result is a refreshingly gentle and funny romance novel that prioritizes queer joy over angst.
Character/Execution: Ethan and Arthur are distinct characters, brought to life with evocative details and rich backstories. Readers easily root for them to give into their feelings and learn how to be vulnerable with each other and will also love the community of surrounding queer characters, who have unique voices, trials, and tribulations of their own.
Blurb: Funny, tender-hearted, and full of steamy romance, readers looking for queer joy will fall in love with Earthquake Ethan's cast of lovable characters and its tale of starting over, breaking your own rules, and caring for one very opinionated, plus-sized cat.
Date Submitted: April 04, 2024
Despite its Hollywood setting, the upbeat and relatable third entry in Merrill’s performer-centered Forces of Nature series keeps the social drama mostly good-natured and its gay romance down to Earth. After a scandal leaves him a persona non grata in London, struggling actor Ethan Bradley lands on the doorsteps of Los Angeles-based friends and producers Reese Matheson and Toby Griffiths. Busy with mounting Reese’s grandfather’s musical about young gay love, Reese and Toby pass Ethan on to their prim manager, Arthur Frye, for a career reboot. Though Arthur is initially annoyed, he finds himself quickly both impressed by Ethan’s sincerity and talent, and attracted enough to him to reconsider his policy of never dating actors.Merrill creates a delightfully intergenerational whirlwind of personalities, from Arthur’s dramatic parents still holding parties with the celebrities of Hollywood’s heyday, to the boys working through their on-stage awkwardness about touching. However, she is careful to have her characters explicitly aware and careful of ethical landmines; rather than leaning in to the power, wealth, and age gap, Arthur hands Ethan’s account to his junior colleague to avoid impropriety, and is outraged that Ethan has been asked for sexual favors by managers in the past, while Ethan suggests a professional intimacy coach as part of the way he coaches the boys on expressing desire through their performances.
The energy is overall positive, with everyone around them enthusiastic about Arthur and Ethan’s connection—even the drama coming from Ethan and Toby’s past resolved in good faith. The pivot from unsure flirting to deep commitment is a little abrupt, and it’s not always clear how the characters find the space for lazy exploratory days in the flow of intense career building action, tight performance deadlines, and parent wrangling. Still, readers will quickly find themselves emotionally invested in both Ethan’s career and relationship. Merrill’s commitment to her characters not having to choose between love and performance, but having each aspect enhance the other, keeps the novel firmly on the side of queer joy rather than angst.
Takeaway: Optimistic Hollywood-set m/m romance with lovers with good hearts.
Comparable Titles: Alexis Hall’s Boyfriend Material, Alison Cochrun’s The Charm Offensive.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
