Winterlude by Tam Ames

Winterlude by Tam Ames
Publisher: Torquere Press
Genre: GBLT
Length: 22 pages
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Summary: Eric hates the cold weather and his broken-down car, which means venturing out on foot into the sub-zero temperatures. Navigating the icy sidewalks, he runs into Omar, literally. An impromptu hot coffee on the cold day findsthat tattooed and pierced Eric and government IT guy Omar might have more in common than they expected. When Omar is called away before Eric can get the guy's number, Eric believes it may only have been a pleasant winterlude to temporarily distract him from the cold. Or is there a possibility his winter will get a lot warmer?

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Tam Ames makes the rugged Canadian winter a character in this story. The weather dictates everything: how Omar and Eric meet, how much ogling they can do, where it makes sense to go, and how much effort it's going to be to get undressed. Winterlude is a skirmish against the elements.

The story is sweetly humorous – within a few paragraphs we get a feel for Eric's witty if grumpy personality. Omar can sling the humor right back. His ethnic background is more a getting to know you talking point than a plot point, but it's good to see a character with a different cultural viewpoint.

The men are in easy accord; their trajectory from snowy street to bed is pretty straight. The story's charm lies in the banter, the sex, and the struggle with the winter more than any struggle with each other. It's a nice pick-me-up on a day you need a smile. 3.5 marbles