You could easily change the title of Lane Hayes’ novel from A Kind of Truth to Opposites Attract because that is what you get with this novel.
Rand O’Malley is a rock n' roll singing, guitar playing leader of the band Spiral. Rand is the kind of guy who oozes sex appeal and his management team thinks Spiral and its lead singer can make it big in the music business, on one condition; Rand must hide the fact that he is gay by saying he is bi-sexual and he isn’t to have any sort of relationship with a man. This doesn’t really affect Rand until he meets a guitar instructor named Will Sanders who is a gifted musician and is the epitome of a nerd.
Will Sanders is out and doesn’t shy away from who he is in the real world. However, this doesn’t include the real world involving his family. When Will’s dad found out Will was gay, he basically disowned him and left Will to fend for himself. Will moved to the big city and is making it his own way even if this way sometimes involves fetish play to pay for college. Think Fifty Shades of Grey minus the hardcore sex appeal.
When Rand and Will meet they both have instant stereotypical feelings about the other. When Rand starts to have feelings for his guitar instructor things get complicated quickly. Rand must decide if the music industry is worth losing his true self over and Will must decide if going back into the closet to get his family back is worth it.
This novel dives into the complications life presents to those in the LGBT community. From finding a way to fit in as bisexual when no side is happy, to finding a way to please your parents, Hayes’ novel does a great job of navigating the path each character must walk. You can feel the inner turmoil Rand wrestles with as he goes from being bisexual to finally admitting he is gay and must now face telling his management team and his band mates and in turn possibly lose everything he has worked so hard for. You can feel the shame Will feels when he talks about letting his family down yet he is unapologetic when telling Rand about dressing up as a woman to satisfy a family friend’s fetishes. As the story progresses the affection each has for the other is only made deeper as secrets, lies, and desires are exposed.
Hayes takes the lifestyle that we all are a part of and gives it a very human viewpoint in a way that everyone can understand. Whether or not Will and Rand get their “happy ending” (pun intended) will only be known if you read the novel.
A Kind of Truth is available exclusively at www.dreamspinnerpress.com.