S.E.X. Review~ Songs of Red Currant Wine by V.L. Locey

No matter how far you go love will always lead you home again.

The world has changed quite a bit since Carl Cimino was a young man in Port Plechard. The small Connecticut coastal town once had everything that he held dear: his family, his friends, his hockey team, his school, and his first love, Mike Rinnert. Back then gay boys didn’t parade along the rocky shores in bright rainbow swim trunks. They hid their shame then moved away or married a nice girl and pretended to be happy. After a dismal marriage attempt and a lackluster playing career that ended with an equally unsatisfying coaching job, Carl is called back to Port Plechard to attend Mike’s funeral and swears that he’s just seen a ghost.

Either that or he’s had one too many sips of his father’s homemade wine. He soon discovers that the spirit hovering around Mike’s grave isn’t a phantom at all, it’s Tigh, Mike’s much younger brother. Tigh is nearly an exact replica of young Mike right down to his dark sensual eyes, wavy hair, and lips that beg to be kissed. The two men are drawn to each other immediately, but there’s more than one hurdle to overcome: a sizeable age difference, small-town gossip, personal demons, family problems, and a hurricane just to name a few.

Songs of Red Currant Wine by V.L. Locey was a beautiful addition to the Colors of Love series. Carl was at the end of his rope with life- in debt, no job, and a raging drinker. Tigh was in the prime of his life, and the spitting image of Carl’s first love, Mike (Tigh’s half-brother). The attraction was instant, and nothing to do with the resemblance.

Carl needed to exorcise many demons, and Tigh was the perfect fit for him. The age gap was large, but I thought Ms. Locey made it work. I found Tigh to be an old soul in a twenty something body. And Carl, although in his mid-fifties was an ex hockey player who when not drinking kept himself in check.

The ease with which Tigh related to Carl and helped him come to terms with his sexuality as a closeted hockey player created a symbiotic relationship of need and desire. For a younger man, he was passionate and tender; just what Carl needed in his delicate state.

Ms. Locey did not make light of Carl’s drinking problem, but gave it teeth and showed the struggle was real.

Carl’s father and the secondary characters were well done and as much as I wanted to dislike Carl’s ex wife, I just couldn’t.

A story worth reading and a wonderful addition to the series.

Definite S.E.X.

A five handcuff review

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2021 ©Evelise Archer All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or have been used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental. No portion of this work may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the author.