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Ebook Details
  • 09/2023
  • 978-1-7381983-0-6 B0CHN7Y7CF
  • 290 pages
  • $14.99
Naked Love Berlin
Jin DeLuong, author

Adult; General Fiction (including literary and historical); (Market)

The sexy gay novel that reveals all New York, Paris, San Francisco – back in their heydays, these cities were outrageous fun for gays and artists. Berlin was the forgotten ghetto, but post-war and post-wall, Berlin has become Europe's queerest city. In Naked Love Berlin, experience the city through the lives of four gay and bisexual men as they learn that the party's only fun when earned. Kay is a Canadian with a corporate job. He struggles for a fabulous European life, but fabulous and monogamous are uneasy bedfellows. Alex is an American with a trust fund. No responsibility means freedom to hop from one fantasy to the next until family obligation ensnares – or saves. Thomas is a German student from a small town whose confidence swells while studying in the sinful capital. But can he keep this from slipping into arrogance, or even violence? Timothy is a British entrepreneur and drawn to Berlin not for its tax breaks, but for the city's men. How could anything bad ever happen to a man who thinks with his penis – or for this power bottom, prostate? For these men, will their lust for life lead to love? If you enjoyed such outings as Tales of the City and Cabaret but want a modern edge, you’ll love Naked Love Berlin. If you’ve ever wondered what queer life in Europe could be like, Naked Love Berlin is for you, especially with a glass of bubbly. Prost!
Plot/Idea: 8 out of 10
Originality: 9 out of 10
Prose: 7 out of 10
Character/Execution: 8 out of 10
Overall: 8.00 out of 10

Assessment:

Plot/Idea: While infused with erotica, at its core, this is a story about a group of friends finding where they fit in the world. The reader follows them as they navigate heartbreak, challenging transitions, and difficult family dynamics, as well as the trauma of rape, racism, and HIV scares, all rawly and vividly depicted.

Prose: Naked Love Berlin positively sings in the moments depicting meaningful character communications and interactions. Sex scenes, while effectively rendered, can sometimes break the spell of the otherwise immensely engaging storytelling.

Originality: Gay life in Berlin from the expat perspective is not a common subject matter, and it's an interesting one. The city is almost a character in and of itself and the author excels at creating atmosphere.

Character/Execution: Readers will feel deeply for the individual characters as they discover, suffer, grow, and seek their own versions of happy endings.

Date Submitted: April 03, 2024

Reviews
Frank, frisky, and proud, this provocative debut celebrates sexual freedom as it surveys the lives of four gay and bisexual men in Berlin amidst break-ups, deaths in the family, and pregnancy scares. Kay Hung —"gay, Asian, and Canadian"—is entering his 33rd year when he finds himself single and homeless after his long-term boyfriend discovers he's been cheating. In his search for a place to live, he meets Alex, who is bisexual and an aspiring musician looking for a new roommate. After moving in, Alex introduces Kay to Timothy, a self-proclaimed "power bottom," and Kay meets Thomas Urning at a medical conference, where the two bond over their identity and Thomas' love of the musical Chicago. The four become fast friends exploring the gay nightlife and wild parties Berlin has to offer.

De Luong takes readers on a moving journey through the loves and losses of these four friends as they each evolve on their paths of self-discovery. While Naked Love Berlin lives up to its title, never skimping on vividly rendered sex—the unbuckling of belts; the mechanics of lubrication; the diversity of organ sizes—it’s the thoughtfully evoked themes of sexual trauma and death that power its gritty yet engaging story of acceptance and friendship. Writing from each man’s POV, De Luong examines how this quartet builds a support system and a community in the face of life-upending events. Each is forced to face his inner demons, in the form of a dying loved one or blurring the lines of friendship with romantic encounters.

This explicit novel is full of depth and larger-than-life characters readers won't soon forget, offering a sweeping story of found family, brotherhood, and sexual identity and discovery. As these four friends make a mess of their lives and work independently or together to pick up the pieces, DeLuong touchingly captures their resilience and camaraderie in the face of whatever life throws their way.

Takeaway: Touching and raw survey of friendship, love, and sexual exploration in Berlin.

Comparable Titles: Tomasz Jedrowski’s Swimming in the Dark, Zak Salih’s Let’s Get Back to the Party.

Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-

Formats
Ebook Details
  • 09/2023
  • 978-1-7381983-0-6 B0CHN7Y7CF
  • 290 pages
  • $14.99
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