Despite an horrific on page attack on one of the MCs this is a surprisingly sweet romance.
The novella length means the author skirts around some difficult issues and concentrates on the blossoming relationship and the strength of found family in whatever forms they come. ( )

Despite an horrific on page attack on one of the MCs this is a surprisingly sweet romance.
The novella length means the author skirts around some difficult issues and concentrates on the blossoming relationship and the strength of found family in whatever forms they come. ( )

‘Mary’s Boys’, a series around a set of characters involved in some way with Hamburger Mary’s in Denver, is into its third book, and I loved this one as much as the first two volumes. And while Hamburger Mary’s is a real chain of GLBTQ -friendly restaurants in the US and the characters are fictional, they all feel as real to me as the restaurant. Led by ManDonna, a drag queen of considerable local fame and a supportive figure in and out of drag, leads her motley crew of drag queens with aplomb. Ariel Merman (aka Zachary) is a fairly new recruit, but she is already making waves (pun intended). She enables Zachary to let go, be creative, and be free of much of the pressure in his life as a man who is often seen as “too gay” – whatever that is supposed to mean. When Zachary ends up in the hospital as the result of a gay bashing, he meets Teegan, a Chinese-American who is recently divorced, who has come out, but is still trying to find his feet. Both men know what it means to be "different" and how tough it can be to find their place in the world, and this results in quite some tension between them as they define what sort of couple they want to be.

Zachary is a great young man and a talented drag performer, but he has a lot of issues. He lost his parents and is now running their bookstore (which sounds like a fabulous place, by the way!), so he is not in financial trouble. He loves performing with ManDonna’s troupe, so he has found something he loves to do. But he is lonely, his self-confidence is very low, and while he wants a partner, he is so shy that he doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to attract someone’s interest. As for the bashing – that leaves wounds a lot deeper than the physical damage. Essentially, Zachary thinks he is weak for trying to run from his attackers (all three!!!! of them) and because many people see him as effeminate and don’t understand how much performing in drag means to him, his self-image takes a beating as much as his body does.

Teegan is professionally established and has a daughter he loves, still gets along with his ex-wife, but he has no idea how to go from admitting he is gay (probably to himself and a small group of family and friends) to openly living as part of a gay couple. He is immediately attracted to Zachary and when Zachary asks him out he plunges straight into the new-to-him world of gay dating. He is honest about how nervous he is, and I think that is a big part of the reason why he and Zachary get along and make progress - slow as that may be. Teegan has a few misconceptions about what it means to be gay, but he has an open mind and learns fast.

There is something special about watching two men – both of whom are still learning how to build a relationship – deal with the issues of dates, getting to know each other, families and friends, and some unexpected obstacles. Zachary’s trauma from the attack as well as his shyness are not easy to overcome, and while Teegan is not shy, he has some things to learn as well. As a result, both men change and grow together, and that adds a pretty unique flavor to their romance.

If you like stories about realistic relationship issues and obstacles, if you want to see two men go from shy and insecure to willing to stand up for themselves and each other, and if you’re looking for a novella that is complex enough to feel more like a novel, then you will probably like ‘Mascara and Bandages’ as much as I do. It is touching, I loved every minute of diving into its world, and, as ever, I am already hoping that Brandon Witt will keep going with this series!


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )