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    Tricks
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    Tricks
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    Tricks
    Ebook222 pages3 hours

    Tricks

    By Rick R. Reed

    3/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Tricks can mean many things: sex partners, deceptions, even magic ... or maybe all three.

    Arliss is a gorgeous young dancer at Tricks, the hottest club in Chicago’s Boystown. Sean is the classic nerd, out of place in Tricks, but nursing his wounds from a recent breakup. When the two spy each other, magic blooms.

    But this opposites-attract tale does not run smooth. What happens when Arliss is approached by one of the biggest porn producers in the business? Can he make his dreams of stardom come true without throwing away the only real love he’s ever known? And ... will it even matter if the mysterious producers realize their dark intentions?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJMS Books LLC
    Release dateFeb 15, 2020
    ISBN9781646562916
    Unavailable
    Tricks
    Author

    Rick R. Reed

    Rick R. Reed is an award-winning and bestselling author of more than fifty works of published fiction. He is a Lambda Literary Award finalist. Entertainment Weekly has described his work as "heartrending and sensitive." Lambda Literary has called him: "A writer that doesn't disappoint…" Find him at www.rickrreedreality.blogspot.com. Rick lives in Palm Springs, CA, with his husband, Bruce, and their two rescue dogs, Kodi and Joaquin.

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    Reviews for Tricks

    3/5

    7 ratings3 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Sean is suddenly a bit lost. His boyfriend of two years has just dumped him. He thought they were more in it for the long haul. He's out of practice when it comes to dating, and most of the clubs just aren't really his scene. So even he's a bit surprised when he winds up at Tricks, one of Chicago's hottest clubs. The dancers on the bar are almost a bit too much for him, and he doesn't stay long.

      Arliss is one of the dancers at Tricks, and he does fairly well for himself. His real dream is to become a porn star, so he can put the late nights of dancing behind him and be even more successful. But he knows better than to be too trusting of just anyone who might make him an offer...right? Arliss spots Sean in the club and remarks that he looks like someone who could use some company, but Sean is gone before he can make his way over to him. When their paths cross again on the shore of the lake, Arliss strikes up a conversation and the two find that there might be a connection between them. Arliss knows that Sean is a bit more traditional and reserved, so how will he understand what Arliss wants to do with his life? He knows it's a lot, but it's been his dream for so long. And when the opportunity presents itself, can he really turn it down?

      There's a lot of complexity in this story, though it may sound like a straightforward plot. The relationship dynamics are certainly complicated, and there are people outside of the couple that have their own agendas. The story has a decent heat level, but it's nowhere near the only thing this one is about. Communication is key to relationships, as is understanding the other person's perspective and finding ways to compromise. Relationships often require sacrifice, but those sacrifices can certainly be worth it. These are things that Sean and Arliss learn the hard way...
    • 4/5
      Tricks is an amazing novel - a deeply moving story of the human spirit. On one level, this is a classic ‘opposites attract’ romance, a story of two men falling in love against all odds. Arliss is a street-smart young man, a teenage runaway who once sold sex, but who now sells its promise instead. Sean is older, white-collar, slightly nerdy, and on the rebound from a long-term relationship. There is an immediate connection between the two men, and the slow progression of their relationship is one of the book’s many charms, especially since the concept of dating, of taking things slow, is completely foreign to Arliss.

      On another level, this is also a story of dreams . . . a cautionary tale of being careful what you wish for. Ever since he hit the streets, Arliss has always dreamed of becoming an adult film star. It’s not just about the sex – he’s already had that in droves – but about the celebrity factor and the sense of public accomplishment/acknowledgement. When an opportunity lands in his lap, he has to make a difficult choice between the career of which he’s always dreamt, and the romance for which he’s never dared hope. While it’s true there is no one right choice, there are very significant consequences for making the wrong one.

      It’s here that Rick’s reputation as the “Stephen King of gay horror” creeps in to haunt the romance. Although it takes a while for it to be fully realised, he weaves in an eerie thread of anxious suspense that’s made up of awkward glances, chilling words, and shadows in the night. We’re on edge, ready for the worst, but we can’t begin to imagine where the danger is going to come from, or what form it might take. The combination of romance and suspense makes for read that is uncomfortable at time, but which serves to further engage our curiosity.

      This is a story of real men, in real situations, in the real world . . . warts and all. There’s nothing pretty or perfect about the sex industry, as Arliss has experienced it, but it’s also not the all-consuming force of destruction some authors choose to portray. Arliss and Sean are men faced with real choices and, ultimately, it is they who shape the world of Tricks, not the other way around. They way in which they choose to resolve their situation is entirely satisfying, and the final line of the story is one of the most chilling 'happy endings' you will ever read.
    • 2/5
      Not a bad story, but I didn't like either of the MCs. Arliss didn't seem to care at all about Sean's feelings on filming the porno; he only seemed worried about his dreams of wanting to be in a porno, and he threw it in Sean's face that it was his dream and did Sean really want to ask him to give up his dream. He then went to on say that maybe they hadn't talked enough about Sean's dreams, so I think Arliss was selfish, but he was very young, so I guess that's to be expected. Sean wasn't any better because he seemed to be a bit of a nag. He didn't like Arliss's smoking habit or his job stripping, but he was kind of passive-aggressive about it, and he seemed to have a bit of a short fuse. It seemed like he was trying to talk to Arliss about the things he didn't like without being an a-hole, but it just came across to me like he was being an a-hole.