karlijnmerle's review against another edition
2.0
Against everything I've known and learned about asexuality.
chocolatemeerkat's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 rating waffling on 4 stars. I would like to start off with that if the blurb had stated that Jake was questioning and did not know that he was homoromantic demisxual like the author says in his blog I would have not have had so many issues with the first 25% of the book. The blurb makes it out (especially if you dont know the authors blog post about this until later) that Jake knows he is demi. Second issues is what I perceived as the awkward random use of kink in this. I give a lot of points for using a safeword in the situations they have but the rest of the kink just seemed out of place and I really like kink. Third is the fact that the book literally ends with Julio's friend being oh so you're ace. No explanation beyond that all no more dialogue just boom end. I have no idea if the author is going for a sequel or not but it felt very unfinished almost cliffhanger(y).
The story was enjoyable for the most part from the issues I stated. It is nice to see characters on the ace spectrum in fiction and Jack did a good job at bringing it to life even if at times it felt stilted to me. I hope we get more from these characters.
The story was enjoyable for the most part from the issues I stated. It is nice to see characters on the ace spectrum in fiction and Jack did a good job at bringing it to life even if at times it felt stilted to me. I hope we get more from these characters.
pinakamataas's review
3.0
I started the book some time ago and just couldn't manage to continue. Damien's inability to understand Jake's sexuality was a major sticking point. But for asexuals relationships sometimes are quite complicated - especially when people of that orientation don't completely understand it and feel broken - Jake's case.
The fact that there is the subject of non-con, was what made me so uncomfortable with this, as I have encountered people who have misunderstood consent. But in the end (I'm on a row of completing started and incomplete books that I'm forcing myself through) the second half of the book kind of redeemed itself, and in the end wasn't even that hard of a read.
Rating first 40% of book 1.5/5
The last 60% - 3.5-4/5
The fact that there is the subject of non-con, was what made me so uncomfortable with this, as I have encountered people who have misunderstood consent. But in the end (I'm on a row of completing started and incomplete books that I'm forcing myself through) the second half of the book kind of redeemed itself, and in the end wasn't even that hard of a read.
Rating first 40% of book 1.5/5
The last 60% - 3.5-4/5
liza5326's review
4.0
This is the most accurate representation I have ever read of being asexual when you really don't know how to label yourself. How you struggle to explain it, how people perceive you as a prude, or not having much experience. How you worry that person you want most in the world is going to walk away because you don't want to have sex with them. And how you can be turned on and will give in to make that partner happy because sometimes that's what you feel you have to do. This book struck so many chords for me and I loved it.
lainy122's review
3.0
It's incredibly rare to find a book that deals with an asexual protagonist (especially one defined as such) and even rarer to deal with a relationship with said character.
I wanted desperately to like this book, but I found myself getting cross at the love interest a disproportionate number of times.
As someone who defines love through physical attraction, Damien is a terrible match for an asexual character. He is incredibly dismissive of a lot of Jake's hangups and often disrespectful of his boundaries, and even though he is always apologetic afterwards, he still says some truly horrible things in the flare of his temper.
I liked the ending, and I liked the journey, but I really wish the love interest could have been a little less douchey.
I wanted desperately to like this book, but I found myself getting cross at the love interest a disproportionate number of times.
As someone who defines love through physical attraction, Damien is a terrible match for an asexual character. He is incredibly dismissive of a lot of Jake's hangups and often disrespectful of his boundaries, and even though he is always apologetic afterwards, he still says some truly horrible things in the flare of his temper.
I liked the ending, and I liked the journey, but I really wish the love interest could have been a little less douchey.
the_novel_approach's review
3.0
Jake Tanner is young guy who works on his own as a farm manager and owns his own place. One day, on his way home, he stops when a dog is in the street and ends up taking her home. He calls the local animal shelter to let them know and a few days later, the owners come to get her. She’s gotten along well with Jake’s dog, but he’s happy to see her home with her elderly owners.
In thanks, the owners invite Jake to dinner at their son’s restaurant/bar, and Jake accepts. While he’s there, a very handsome and intriguing motorcyclist comes in and catches Jake’s eye. He’s quickly off, though, so Jake figures that’s that. There is a beautiful piano there and Jake begins to plan. The owners offer him a job playing on weekends—and everyone loves his playing so he accepts.
Jake is then visited by his friend from Uni, Diane. She’s kicked out her two-timing boyfriend and needs to get away from Brisbane, so arrives on Jake’s doorstep. Of course, Jake takes her in. A few days later the mysterious, gorgeous motorcyclist shows up, and it turns out it’s Diane’s adoptive father, who is barely older than Jake. Clearly Damien is smitten with Jake, but he doesn’t understand Jake’s reluctance for a physical relationship. Jake confirms that he is not straight and that he has had sex, but that is not what interests him. He has trouble articulating what it is he needs, and Damien has a hard time not turning everything into a rejection, which then just makes Jake feel worse. Jake doesn’t have a name for it. He just is who he is.
They decide to see each other on weekends when Damien visits from Brisbane, and their relationship is very much a rollercoaster ride. The closer Jake thinks they are to getting it right, the more rejected Damien feels. Their weekends, which started off so great, begin to become a chore, and Damien can’t seem to get Jake’s boundaries, which also makes him angry—while Jake isn’t closeted, he also doesn’t advertise. Then Damien experiences a crisis that causes Jake to question their whole relationship and if he even wants to try.
Ace is my first book about an asexual character. At times I was as confused as Damien about what Jake needed and where his limits were since he had a hard time articulating them in a way that would be easy to understand by an intimate partner. I’m not sure it was entirely clear what his relationship desires would be or what would be too far since at one point he appears to be repulsed by Damien’s behavior. It’s an interesting subject to consider, but I’m not sure how much I took away from this story, except that I would definitely need to do a lot more research about the topic. At times, I felt like I was sort of just flailing about a bit in this book and trying to read between the lines.
Reviewed by Sadonna for The Novel Approach Reviews
http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.com/review-ace-by-jack-byrne/
In thanks, the owners invite Jake to dinner at their son’s restaurant/bar, and Jake accepts. While he’s there, a very handsome and intriguing motorcyclist comes in and catches Jake’s eye. He’s quickly off, though, so Jake figures that’s that. There is a beautiful piano there and Jake begins to plan. The owners offer him a job playing on weekends—and everyone loves his playing so he accepts.
Jake is then visited by his friend from Uni, Diane. She’s kicked out her two-timing boyfriend and needs to get away from Brisbane, so arrives on Jake’s doorstep. Of course, Jake takes her in. A few days later the mysterious, gorgeous motorcyclist shows up, and it turns out it’s Diane’s adoptive father, who is barely older than Jake. Clearly Damien is smitten with Jake, but he doesn’t understand Jake’s reluctance for a physical relationship. Jake confirms that he is not straight and that he has had sex, but that is not what interests him. He has trouble articulating what it is he needs, and Damien has a hard time not turning everything into a rejection, which then just makes Jake feel worse. Jake doesn’t have a name for it. He just is who he is.
They decide to see each other on weekends when Damien visits from Brisbane, and their relationship is very much a rollercoaster ride. The closer Jake thinks they are to getting it right, the more rejected Damien feels. Their weekends, which started off so great, begin to become a chore, and Damien can’t seem to get Jake’s boundaries, which also makes him angry—while Jake isn’t closeted, he also doesn’t advertise. Then Damien experiences a crisis that causes Jake to question their whole relationship and if he even wants to try.
Ace is my first book about an asexual character. At times I was as confused as Damien about what Jake needed and where his limits were since he had a hard time articulating them in a way that would be easy to understand by an intimate partner. I’m not sure it was entirely clear what his relationship desires would be or what would be too far since at one point he appears to be repulsed by Damien’s behavior. It’s an interesting subject to consider, but I’m not sure how much I took away from this story, except that I would definitely need to do a lot more research about the topic. At times, I felt like I was sort of just flailing about a bit in this book and trying to read between the lines.
Reviewed by Sadonna for The Novel Approach Reviews
http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.com/review-ace-by-jack-byrne/
wayward_books's review
3.0
I gave this book a chance. I was a quick read. It was alright.
Damien's pushy-ness made me kinda uncomfortable.
Damien's pushy-ness made me kinda uncomfortable.
frothy's review
1.0
I don't think this story or romance worked. Jake is asexual. Damian is very sexual. He keeps pushing Jake sexually. And tries to emotionally blackmail him into doing more sexual things all the time. Damian continually sees Jake's lack of sexual response as rejection.
Finally Jake is pressured into having sex with Damian. The end. He's still not really interested in having more sex. Damian wants it everyday now. How is that going to work?
I thought Byrne did a good job of depicting the two characters and their issues. I just really really did not like what he did with them.
Asexuals will not find this book a romantic or pleasant read.
Finally Jake is pressured into having sex with Damian. The end. He's still not really interested in having more sex. Damian wants it everyday now. How is that going to work?
I thought Byrne did a good job of depicting the two characters and their issues. I just really really did not like what he did with them.
Asexuals will not find this book a romantic or pleasant read.
lillian_francis's review
I couldn't read any more. See status updates. DNF at 42%.
Even the title doesn't do this book any favours.
Even the title doesn't do this book any favours.
fantasyliving's review
3.0
3 Hearts
**Updated minor spoiler below**
I was somewhat disappointed by the choice of narrator for this audiobook. Not because Jonathan David doesn’t have a pleasing voice, he does. Great pitch, great range. But not Aussie. I’m an Aussie, so I get super excited about my fellow country men and women publishing books I’m interested in reading. This was definitely a story I was interested in, but I felt a bit cheated by the American accent. I spoke (whinged) to my American partner about it, and he said it was smart. Apparently he won’t listen to anything by british narrators because he doesn’t like the accent, but dubbing it over with American accent and he will give it a try. This makes no sense to me, but meh, whatever. I didn’t like it. I love accents. All accents. I find them interesting, and sexy, and pleasing to my ears. But I wanted Aussie for this. So I’m pouting a bit over it and it may have influenced my enjoyment of the story a little.
The story I thought was really good. I liked the way this was about the struggle with someone who doesn’t know there is a label for his disinterest in sex, and his relationship with someone who loves sex all of the time. It was painful at times the way they miscommunicated because one person feels that sex is part of a loving relationship, and the other thinks that emotional, and non-sexual physical togetherness is how to express love.
At times I could not see how these two men would work it out, and have a functioning relationship. Sex just took up so much of the conversation, and they didn’t seem to get anywhere. Did I say painful? Agonising! At times I was screaming inside “You’re not listening, Damien!”.
It was hard to see the relationship development because it was so slow. One step forward, two steps back in a few places. But I did see that they were both committed to trying, and that made me happy. I was also pleased when there were breakthroughs. It was tough going, but there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
A couple of nitpicking parts that irritated me. I’ve mentioned I’m Aussie. I may have even mentioned that I like authenticity. So when an author chooses to use the old english measuring system in books set in metric using countries, I’m not happy. We are metric, baby! We don’t say miles. Our odometers are metric! 100 Kilometres per hour!!! 60 Metre rock!!!! When you read the book, you’ll know what I’m referring to. Maybe it’s a sales thing, or an outback thing (I can probably forgive the use of feet as measurement, but not the speed)? I just wish I didn’t have to do conversions in my head when reading an Australian author, because I have to do so much with all the other books I read.
I thought that maybe Jake compromised a little too much. Damian just couldn’t seem to grasp that Jake was not rejecting him as a person. And so Jake seemed to fold a little.
I liked the visit to Brisbane (Shout-out from Brisbane, baby!), and the general landscape for the country town. I liked the side characters, and enjoyed these two men as a couple. The dialogue was smooth, and the general feel of the town worked well.
**Minor Spoiler**
I also had to suspend disbelief with the adoption thing, simply because adoption laws in Australia are pretty archaic and not at all in favour of single people. It may be possible in New South Wales, or Victoria, but definitely not in Queensland (where the story is mostly set), and it would have cost a lot of money, money that a homeless eighteen year old wouldn’t have had. So that part of the story didn’t really work for me, but it is a nice dream, and maybe one day these things won’t be almost impossible.
Update: 4/11/2016
So I'm updating this to announce that the adoption laws in QLD changed this week, to allow same-sex couples, people undergoing IVF treatment, and singles to adopt. While I'm sure it would still be a difficult process, it is now possible YAY. http://bzfd.it/2fxf2yv
This story is a little angsty (and I don’t mean that in a bad way) so if you’re not in that kind of mood, then best to leave it until you are. But I thought this was worth my time, and I would read other stories by Jack Byrne. He is a solid storyteller, and I would recommend this to everyone who enjoys hard-won romance. If you don’t think you can listen to this as audio, definitely give the print novel a try. But if you’re like my partner, and you’re fine with American narrator for an Aussie story, then go ahead and listen to Jonathan David. He really does have a lovely voice.
A copy was provided for review
**Updated minor spoiler below**
I was somewhat disappointed by the choice of narrator for this audiobook. Not because Jonathan David doesn’t have a pleasing voice, he does. Great pitch, great range. But not Aussie. I’m an Aussie, so I get super excited about my fellow country men and women publishing books I’m interested in reading. This was definitely a story I was interested in, but I felt a bit cheated by the American accent. I spoke (whinged) to my American partner about it, and he said it was smart. Apparently he won’t listen to anything by british narrators because he doesn’t like the accent, but dubbing it over with American accent and he will give it a try. This makes no sense to me, but meh, whatever. I didn’t like it. I love accents. All accents. I find them interesting, and sexy, and pleasing to my ears. But I wanted Aussie for this. So I’m pouting a bit over it and it may have influenced my enjoyment of the story a little.
The story I thought was really good. I liked the way this was about the struggle with someone who doesn’t know there is a label for his disinterest in sex, and his relationship with someone who loves sex all of the time. It was painful at times the way they miscommunicated because one person feels that sex is part of a loving relationship, and the other thinks that emotional, and non-sexual physical togetherness is how to express love.
At times I could not see how these two men would work it out, and have a functioning relationship. Sex just took up so much of the conversation, and they didn’t seem to get anywhere. Did I say painful? Agonising! At times I was screaming inside “You’re not listening, Damien!”.
It was hard to see the relationship development because it was so slow. One step forward, two steps back in a few places. But I did see that they were both committed to trying, and that made me happy. I was also pleased when there were breakthroughs. It was tough going, but there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
A couple of nitpicking parts that irritated me. I’ve mentioned I’m Aussie. I may have even mentioned that I like authenticity. So when an author chooses to use the old english measuring system in books set in metric using countries, I’m not happy. We are metric, baby! We don’t say miles. Our odometers are metric! 100 Kilometres per hour!!! 60 Metre rock!!!! When you read the book, you’ll know what I’m referring to. Maybe it’s a sales thing, or an outback thing (I can probably forgive the use of feet as measurement, but not the speed)? I just wish I didn’t have to do conversions in my head when reading an Australian author, because I have to do so much with all the other books I read.
I thought that maybe Jake compromised a little too much. Damian just couldn’t seem to grasp that Jake was not rejecting him as a person. And so Jake seemed to fold a little.
I liked the visit to Brisbane (Shout-out from Brisbane, baby!), and the general landscape for the country town. I liked the side characters, and enjoyed these two men as a couple. The dialogue was smooth, and the general feel of the town worked well.
**Minor Spoiler**
Spoiler
I also had to suspend disbelief with the adoption thing, simply because adoption laws in Australia are pretty archaic and not at all in favour of single people. It may be possible in New South Wales, or Victoria, but definitely not in Queensland (where the story is mostly set), and it would have cost a lot of money, money that a homeless eighteen year old wouldn’t have had. So that part of the story didn’t really work for me, but it is a nice dream, and maybe one day these things won’t be almost impossible.
Update: 4/11/2016
So I'm updating this to announce that the adoption laws in QLD changed this week, to allow same-sex couples, people undergoing IVF treatment, and singles to adopt. While I'm sure it would still be a difficult process, it is now possible YAY. http://bzfd.it/2fxf2yv
This story is a little angsty (and I don’t mean that in a bad way) so if you’re not in that kind of mood, then best to leave it until you are. But I thought this was worth my time, and I would read other stories by Jack Byrne. He is a solid storyteller, and I would recommend this to everyone who enjoys hard-won romance. If you don’t think you can listen to this as audio, definitely give the print novel a try. But if you’re like my partner, and you’re fine with American narrator for an Aussie story, then go ahead and listen to Jonathan David. He really does have a lovely voice.
A copy was provided for review