18 Responses to “Finding Home by L Baker and B Dee”

1. shuzluva Posted: Jan 26th, 2007 at 1:14 pm

   1 I was totally into this, even with the 17 to 23 age difference until I read this: He ends up taking care of Megan, fulfilling her emotional needs, and basically functions as her lover, counselor, and cheerleader… yet who’s taking care of this kid? It seemed as though he was forced into a role of the conventional romance hero when he’s never really had a chance to live his own life without worrying about a mother, a girlfriend, where’s he going to sleep, what he’s going to eat the next day… he’s never had a chance to just… be. Wow. Talk about jamming a character into a mold… However, I’m still intrigued and I may have to pick this up, even if it does make me feel like a dirty old lady. Hell, men do it all the time, so why the heck can’t I?

2. Barbara B. Posted: Jan 27th, 2007 at 4:56 am

   2 As always great review Bam. I’ve read this and I loved Sean. I felt a little uneasy with the jailbait aspect. Can’t stand that, male or female. I bought it anyway because I have a fascination for male whore romances. I liked this one because of the complexity and grittiness. The character of Sean just broke my heart and I was really ambivalent about him having a relationship with Megan. This story I wasn’t into for the sex as much as I was how Sean would grow and develop. For my own comfort level I was hoping that the authors would take the easy way out and have Sean and Megan meet, part and come together again several years later. I’d like to have seen Sean as a mature adult. Megan too, for that matter. Overall, I loved Finding Home although it made me uncomfortable. I like that. I love unbridled, mindless fizznucking as much as any other big ole freak but sometimes I want more. It wasn’t quite the male whore erotic romance I’ve been looking for but it was a good read nonetheless. Can I say that in another type of story I would have loved to see Mouth’s much vaunted jobbing skills?

3. Karen Scott Posted: Jan 27th, 2007 at 6:27 am

   3 It’s very angsty, yet it doesn’t seem to pack the emotional punch I’ve come to expect from Bonnie Dee’s previous work. Maybe because it was a collaboration?

4. Suisan Posted: Jan 27th, 2007 at 7:56 am

   4 Maybe it’s because I’m forty, but I have to ask: Is there a huge difference in age between 17 and 23? emtionally, yeah, I can see it. But I’m not sure that in another story that spread would have bothered me. Well, he is under 18. There is that. 18 and 28–then we’ve got problems. Thanks for the review, Bam. This sounds like a really interesting spin on the romnace themes.

5. bam Posted: Jan 27th, 2007 at 9:28 am

   5 Maybe because it was a collaboration? Karen, I’ve always wondered about collaborations. What is the division of work, anyway? “I’ll do Sean, you do Megan” or “I’ll do this chapter and you’ll do this chapter” If so, it could explain why the writing seemed… uneven.

6. The Dean Posted: Jan 27th, 2007 at 10:38 pm

   6 From The Dean’s Desk: My Dears, does it occur to all that one of the reasons this plot line is so creepy is because this is statutory rape? And child abuse? Just a legal perspective. The Dean

7. Karen Scott Posted: Jan 28th, 2007 at 7:03 am

   7 My Dears, does it occur to all that one of the reasons this plot line is so creepy is because this is statutory rape? Those pesky little details can be a killer, that’s for sure.

8. mamx Posted: Jan 28th, 2007 at 2:12 pm

   8 just because americans say it is not legal or moral doesnt mean that the total say-so on it. in other countries it is not the same at all. it does vary from place to place. maybe a different locale would help. but then again , there is lolita , which i havent read. still a good book is a good book though, it does sound like an interesting read though… mmm thank for posting your review , angsty books are great !

9. Bonnie Dee Posted: Jan 29th, 2007 at 10:37 am

   9 Well, we’ve received the gamut of ’squick me out at the inappropriateness’ to ‘it was moving and so hot’. It’s a fine line when you decide to write something a little gritty to keep from being offensive but not sugar-coat things. Originally the age-difference was greater but we thought we’d better minimize it for the squick-factor. And making Megan an immature young woman evens out their playing field even more. Sean IS the more mature one, clearly. Of course the relationship is wrong, but I figure the difference between a novel and real life is like that between hot teens in a TV drama (played by twenty-something actors) and the pimply-faced, awkward variety you encounter in real life. Make believe, after all. Anyway, that being said. You have to admit it’s emminently readable. I still enjoyed the book even after numerous times through editing it. You asked how we split it. By chapters and our natural interest. I did most of the street kids parts and Megan and her family scenes. Lauren covered Megan and her friends and most of the sex scenes. Certain scenes we shared, like the first kiss which we both wanted a hand in. If this book is too heavy, watch for “Evolving Man” in April from Samhain, a totally easy-going sex romp with a time travel theme that demonstrates that men never really change.

10. sybil Posted: Jan 29th, 2007 at 12:37 pm

    10 17 is legal in the state of texas… and lower in other states just saying…

11. Lauren Baker Posted: Jan 29th, 2007 at 1:08 pm

    11 Hello there, I’m the other half of the partnership. First off, I wanted to say thanks for reviewing our opus, and in such depth. I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy it as much as we’d hope for, but I’m glad you appreciated the fact that we took chances, and went for an unconventional story - it took us a long time to find a publisher willing to take a gamble on it, precisely because of the gritty stuff, and, no doubt, the underage angle (incidentally, 17 isn’t underage in most of Europe, including the UK where I’m based which is perhaps one reason I find it easier to stomach. And, as you pointed out, although he is damaged, Sean is also a sight more mature than Megan, having done his growing up fast). We know this book is a bit of an odd fish - not a conventional romance, but a love story nonetheless; which tackles uncomfortable issues. I’m sorry you found it manipulative (the strings shouldn’t show, eh?), and that the writing felt uneven (again - tricky sometimes to merge our two different styles, including erasing the British from my writing) but I’m pleased you liked our gutsy boy hooker and his immature yet likeable paramour. I wanted to smack her with a rolled-up newspaper a couple of times, but her motivations are understandable. I mean, Sean… and I feel dirty for saying is… is totally hot and sexy in his James Dean angst. Kind of the effect we were hoping for. Including the ambiguity, and the discomfort. And yes, we’d be lying if we didn’t acknowledge James Dean as an unspoken icon somewhere in the background… Cheers.

12. Annie Dean Posted: Jan 29th, 2007 at 2:32 pm

    12 I reviewed this for RRT and I have a different take from Bam. Megan was definitely more immature at the start, of the book, and that lessened some of the gap between her and Sean, though it certainly didn’t negate it. I agree that he was in no shape to maintain a relationship, but he needed it to as the catalyst through which to change his life. He needed to know someone else could have faith in him, and he needed to know he was good for more than sex. At 17, he isn’t in any position to make making life decisions, but I would argue he’s able to choose his sex partners. I saw no coercion in Megan’s dealings with him. He’s been on his own for a while, and chronological age isn’t always indicative of maturity. As has been mentioned elsewhere, a protagonist who is nearly 18 wouldn’t draw so much comment elsewhere in the world. We Americans like our lines in the sand and woe betide those who dare to cross. Megan grew up over the course of the book, she gained her footing, and she gave Sean the hand he needed to save himself. I didn’t see him as being forced to take care of her, forced into a typical “hero” role. I saw him cooking and cleaning as a manifestation of the damage to his psyche. He doesn’t know how to show affection outside of service, so he does for her. It’s what he knows how to do, like a rich man shows love through his wallet. He’s also uncertain because she isn’t using him for sex and he doesn’t want to go back onto the streets. He sees it as a way to prove his value to her; he’s not dead weight, right? As for scenes where Bam said it became repetitive because a nice moment with Sean and Megan would be followed by one of Sean acting up around her friends… I didn’t see it that way at all. Sean is wounded, no question, and Megan is the first person who has ever given a shit about him as far as we know. He trusts her, so he CAN act out. He has all this pain locked up inside, so much for him to deal with. When he lashes out and acts like a dick around her friends, it’s an expression of trust and that’s huge. Kids who are afraid of being beaten or emotionally injured do NOT act out like that. They’re quiet, frightened little mice. There are kids who act out to get to their parents, but generally, it’s a plea for attention, not as a result of abuse. Abused children tend to behave in self-destructive ways because they’ve hit bottom and think it doesn’t matter anymore, whatever becomes of them. It’s a different kind of acting out than what we see from Sean; “I don’t care” is the mantra. I didn’t see those scenes as a device meant to contrast how different they were. I saw it as Sean finally starting to deal with emotions that had to be repressed for him simply to survive. As for their separation, that had to happen for them to move forward. He had to prove to himself that he could function without her in order to be with her. Maybe he’ll decide later on she’s not what he wants. Maybe they don’t live happily ever after, but Megan saved his life and that’s happy enough for me. I gave this a perfect 10 for RRT. Final note: people do stick their necks out. I have. I worked at Lighthouse Mission. Society tends to think street people deserve it somehow, if they just tried harder, they wouldn’t be homeless, but the fact is, the average family is about a month of missed paychecks away from homelessness. Forget job security, it’s done. We live in a brave new world, and anyone can wind up on the street. Maybe you’re lucky and your family would always take you in, but what about folks without family? I’ve given my last $20 away because I had food in the house, at least. I’ve offered my couch to a person in need. And not because he was hot. He has a good job now, a wife and a family. Yes, something terrible could have happened, I could have been robbed or worse, but sometimes it’s worth the risk. If I ignore someone else’s pain because it’s easier, what have I become? I’d rather die trying to help than live with knowing I never did.

13. Jane Posted: Jan 30th, 2007 at 8:28 am

    13 I’ll cop to being weak stomached and say that this book’s premise is beyond my comfort zone.

14. Darragha Posted: Jan 31st, 2007 at 5:51 am

    14 I really enjoyed Bone Deep…and every time I look at the cover of this book, I want it. Guess that means KA-CHING with the debit card… Darragha

15. kate r Posted: Jan 31st, 2007 at 6:05 am

    15 way back in the stone ages, I loved teenaged sex. And now I’m ranting about it.

16. kate r Posted: Jan 31st, 2007 at 6:06 am

    16 no, now I’m gonna go shopping and buy this a bunch of other books. Hundreds of ‘em.

17. Gayle G. Posted: Jan 31st, 2007 at 3:48 pm

    17 The fact that Sean is seventeen (but only a few months from 18) and his unusual background is exactly what makes this book so cool - isn’t anyone else tired of the broad-shouldered, smoldering-eyed alpha male? No? Well, actually, I guess I like those, too, but this book was refreshingly different and daring. Plenty of romances out there with heroines several years (or even a decade) younger than the guy - no one blinks an eye. Sean *was* more mature than Meagan - that was another interesting aspect, to see them play against each other and see Megan grow. Glad I came across this book and I highly recommend it.

18. The Dean Posted: Feb 6th, 2007 at 10:52 pm

    18 From The Dean’s Desk: The Dean grants for intercultural differences (what makes the dear reader believe The Dean is in the United States–The Dean believes the last airport was Beijing), but seeing as the author set it in the US means that those laws should apply. And goodness, my dears, a few months shy of 18 means that the “hero” is…..yes…..wait for it. Jail bait. All that is missing is that the main femaile character (The Dean simply cannot dignify her existence with “heroine”) is a teacher or student teacher. And if you have not read Lolita, why ever not? Cultural illiteracy is such a painful condition. The Dean