RELEASE DAY REVIEW: 'Truth, Pride, Victory, Love' by David Connor and E.F. Mulder
Title: Truth, Pride, Victory, Love
Author: David Connor and E.F. Mulder
Cover Artist: L.C. Chase
Published: December 30, 2016
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Genre: Contemporary Romance; Erotic Romance; New Adult
Length: 342 pages
Tags: Gay; M/M; Coming of Age; Coming Out; Athlete/Sport: Swimmer; Olympics
About Truth, Pride, Victory, Love
Beneath the surface, they share more than dreams of Olympic gold.
Since elementary school, the question of Reed Watson’s race has needled him. But the one thing he’s always known is that he is destined to become an Olympic star—he felt it the moment he first hit the water. Chosen by a former Olympic swimmer to train for the 2016 Olympics, Reed determinedly works toward his dream.
Along the way, Reed develops feelings for two men he’s known since childhood: Cal, his next-door neighbor, and Mathias, his rival since the fourth grade. Cal’s struggle with his sexual identity and a tragedy complicate Reed’s feelings, while Mathias’s wealth quickly makes it obvious they are from vastly different worlds.
As Rio approaches, Mathias becomes a gay sports icon, while Reed is told to hide his sexuality for a lucrative endorsement deal that will offer his family a financial boost and help him with mounting debt. Reed’s unresolved desires for both men remain and so too do all the things that have kept them apart. Has he grown enough to navigate rougher waters, to find truth, pride, victory, and love?
4 HEART READ
REVIEW: Truth, Pride, Victory, Love is David Connor and E.F. Mulder’s ode to our rapidly changing social values. This compelling novel tenderly examines how these knotty issues affect relationships.
At its core is the love between two boys, developing into manhood as they strive to become Olympic swimmers.
Reed, adopted into a poor black home, is racially ambiguous, yet accepted as gay, even before he informs his family. For a while Mathias, who is wealthy, white, and quickly out and proud (yet virtually ignored by his parents) finds a second home with Reeds’ family.
Reed rarely knows whether Mathias is helping or undercutting, as Mathias is infuriating and caring in equal measure. Luckily Reed’s athletic bid is emotionally supported by his taciturn coach, a bisexual neighbor (to whom he’s also attracted), his disabled younger brother, and parents who are the salt of the earth.
As all these characters buddy up, fight, play, and mature, Connor and Mulder weave the complexities of love between competitors. They probe the convoluted realities of athleticism, in which media and endorsements extract a price.
Several things make this gently meandering novel stand out. It focuses an unblinking eye on life’s problems.
The issues of race, disability, power, privilege, and sexual identity are carefully woven into the strands of Reed and Mathias’ on-again, off-again relationship.
Truth, Pride, Victory, Love doesn’t force solutions, but rather allows its characters to emerge in three-dimensions. Folks are as ambivalent and confused as we are. They are searching for answers society hasn’t quite found.
The novel’s best feature is how Reed matures from a kid who can do anything, to a young man questioning his worth, and finally into one who has the insight to determine his destiny.
This is depicted consistently through his actions, values, thought processes, and even his language style.
“The most valuable thing a man can do is stand up strong for what’s really important no matter what. The most foolish thing he can do is let pigheadedness distract him with what’s not. Some things are worth compromise, sacrifice and humility, Reed. Some things can only be accomplished without a lick of any of them. The mature man can figure out the difference.”
A novel that undertakes the perplexing issues of our day might be over-reaching. But, like an Olympic athlete, the authors have dug deep and delivered a surprisingly comprehensive, intricate, ethical, and endearing love story in Truth, Pride, Victory Love.
A copy of Truth, Pride, Victory, Love was provided to Kimmers’ Erotic Book Banter, by Dreamspinner Press, in exchange for our fair and honest opinion.
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About the Author's
David Connor lives in a small town in New York with his dog, Max and a cat named Mrs. Fat Pants. His grade school English teacher, after reading one of David's stories, suggested David write for As the World Turns someday. Books, magazine articles (including the soap mags), the stage, and even radio, he has done just about everything except write for daytime TV. He is still hopeful –as long as there are still some left.
David's vivid imagination refuses to shut down even when he sleeps. His dream life is far more interesting than his real life, and is often the genesis of plot lines for his stories. If you'd like to contact him, look him up on Facebook. He will update his status after his nap.
E.F. Mulder has been an avid reader and storyteller since childhood. Whenever a book was assigned for class, E.F. would be thrilled, even as other students grumbled. Soon, that love of a good story expanded to creating them herself. E.F.’s mother received a ton of catalogs in the mail and E.F. would spend many a lazy summer afternoon or quiet Sunday envisioning the goings on of the men and women—or men and men—in pretty clothes or decorating their Christmas trees when the holiday books showed up in late fall. This creativity also came in handy when playing Barbie with her sister and sometimes her brother. Since E.F.’s mother was a soap opera fan, sitting down for half of Another World and General Hospital daily after work, E.F. came to appreciate that sort of storytelling as well, where love could be a struggle, but also a miracle that conquered all. This sort of yarn spinning led to E.F.’s Barbie and her beaus going through some very interesting plotlines and later came in handy writing romance novels where the road to happiness has plenty of bumps. To this day, E.F. and her writing partner, David, love to throw romantic soapy twists into their tales.
E.F. also enjoys rainy days, crisp autumns, Christmas decorations, her four kitty cats, Molly, Speckles, Tuxedo, and Mama Bear, and working on a virtual farm when not writing. It’s so much easier to clean under the fingernails when done digitally. A love of QVC means the kitties have a fresh rotation of new boxes to play in and the cute UPS man gets to visit often. Maybe there’s a story there….
