Out On The Net, Rick R. Reed

- Review by Cindi

4.5 out of 5 stars

Ray Tolliver has picked the absolute worst moment to be struck with the revelation that he is gay. Granted, he's always been attracted to other men but he felt that the right thing was to marry a female, leaving those attractions to himself and he hasn't quite accepted the gay thing before now. It is literally twenty minutes before he is to walk down the aisle to marry Alice. The church is full of guests.  The bride-to-be is somewhere in the church getting primped.  The best man is admiring himself in the mirror and Ray is dressed to the nines in his tux and shiny shoes.  But once the revelation hits, he knows that no way can he walk down that aisle and marry a woman. The service is called off (in a way that I found to be extremely cowardly on Ray's part) and the former bride-to-be is left devastated.  So what does Ray do now?  He lives in small-town America where being openly gay is not exactly the norm.  He has angered or hurt all who are close to him.  Alice, rightfully so, refuses to speak with him though he still loves her dearly just not in that way.  

Ray starts a blog that details his life and trials as a newly discovered gay man.  The entire story is made up of blog entries starting with him calling off the wedding and continuing until he finally finds true love with a man.   Some of the blog entries are a little sad, some are downright hilarious and some are very sweet.

Ray's search for true love is an interesting one.  From getting creeped out at the local rest area ("there's a reason people snicker about it and call it 'Lollipop Park'") to checking out Craigslist and various hook-up sites ("Back to the subject, ahem, at hand.  I would be lying if I didn't admit that sometimes my exposure to gay Internet porn left me, oh my, with soiled Fruit of the Looms") to even going on his one and only blind date.  I laughed so hard during Ray's blind date.  You immediately feel embarrassed for the poor guy but you can't help but laugh out loud.

My mind became a vast, blank canvass and here I was an artist with no paints or brushes. What does one talk about on a gay date?  How do you make conversation?  Do you talk about gay things, like Glee, Lady GaGa, or, turning back time, Cher?

Having a bean burrito for lunch a few hours before your first ever gay date is probably not a good idea as Ray learns the hard way unfortunately.

Oh now, Ray, you're being ridiculous.  A little gas is a perfectly natural thing; it happens to everyone.  Even Jake.  Now even though you might think Jake would be relieved if you cut out on him and headed home, you're wrong.  Hopefully the gas leak has been stopped and you can get out there and turn this night around.

Yeah, about that.  The date turned out okay in the end but Jake apparently was not the great love of Ray's life.

A coworker who is a Sam Elliott look alike (my blog partner had only last week been informed of my absolute love for Sam Elliott) who helps Ray to, uh, experience a few things as long as Ray doesn't acknowledge the man in public.  

Ah, Sam Elliott. :)

He reminded me of the Greek version of actor, Sam Elliott.  Yes, boys and girls, he was dreamy.

Finding out that a man who has played a huge part in Ray's nightly fantasies is gay is shocking to say the least.

You could have knocked me over with a feather.  I know, Alice, you'd rather use a brick.

The Sam-Elliott-look-alike-hottie doesn't work out as Blog Entry #11 states:

I HATE MEN!

Yes, it's true.  I hate them all.  If you're a woman, you may understand why when you read what's below.  If you're a gay man, same goes for you.  If you're a straight man, well, I never believed any of you truly like each other anyway.

Bitter...party of one!

One bad connection after another forces Ray to conclude that he will never find his true love. Maybe he should have gone ahead and married Alice.  At least she would be someone to come home to every night.  About the time Ray has had enough, he meets the man of his dreams in the most unlikely of places:  Home Depot (or better known by Ray as Homo Depot).

This is a fun story.  Alice eventually forgives Ray for dumping her at the alter.  Ray discovers the joys of gay sex and true love with his sweetie.  The way the story is told, via blog entries, is an interesting and different way of telling a story.  I found it refreshing and much different from the books I normally read.  

Another great story by one of my faves.