Bloomington Boys

Dorian

By: Mark Roeder

Narrated by: Jerry Bradshaw

Dorian and his boyfriend Marc are beginning their life together as freshmen at Indiana University, but neither imagines the temptations they will face.

IU is filled with gorgeous young men, but more dangerous are those who offer more than physical beauty. Dorian meets not one, but two boys he'd gladly date if he didn't already belong to Marc.

Marc meets Hunter, a hunky cyclist who is his perfect match. As if overwhelming temptation wasn't enough, the pair is faced with an old nemesis from back home.

When one gay boy after another is found beaten, Dorian and Marc wonder if Devon is up to his old tricks.

©2013 Mark A. Roeder (P)2021 Mark A. Roeder

Fun Romp for a Teen

To be fair to the author, I don't think I'm the target audience for his series. This book definitely felt like it was meant as a fun romp for a high school student. And there is nothing whatsoever wrong with that!! I want young people to love reading, and fun books essential to developing that love.
Even as an adult who is well beyond youthful optimism, I loved this sweet fantasy world and I love normalizing LGBTQQIAP culture for young people. I love that, even though this was set in the 80s, the young gay men were not all effeminate stereotypes, but there were varied gay characters. And there was a fantastic moment at the end that I can't talk about without a big ol' spoiler warning!
I enjoyed the audiobook version of this book, which was great. I just love the narrator, Jerry Bradshaw. He has such a smooth voice, but also does a great job at injecting personality into each character. I'm always excited to hear what Bradshaw is going to do with text.