Review of Frustrating Fascination

Fareed Regal · Post by **Fareed Regal** » 07 Mar 2023, 06:12

[Following is a volunteer review of "Frustrating Fascination" by Debra Mckenzie.]

5 out of 5 stars

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Sean and Bruce have been friends since early childhood. Bruce is gay, but this never affected their relationship until they joined the army together. After Bruce started being targeted, and beaten up, by some of the soldiers, Sean decided to distance himself from Bruce as he did not want to be labeled gay as well. Bruce was eventually dismissed by the army for being gay. After Sean also left the army, he fell in love and married Marina, who is Bruce's sister. Sean and Bruce continued to stay in touch, but they were not as close as they used to be. After five years of marriage, Marina decided to leave Sean as she had fallen in love with Vanessa, her best friend.

While browsing around, in the mall where he worked, for a birthday present for his mother, Sean came across a quaint antique store that he had never seen in the mall before. He was fascinated by a mirror that sits inside a white, wood-carved frame, and bought it after being encouraged by the owner to do so. After unwrapping the mirror, he decided to hang it in his bedroom until his mother's birthday. Little did he know what was in store for him, after that simple act of hanging up a mirror.

Frustrating Fascination, by Debra Mckenzie, is a Sci-fi fantasy story that highlights critical issues that LGBT communities live with. I found the book to be a quick, pleasant, and thought-provoking read. By using a mirror as the conduit for Sean to step into a fantasy world, Debra kept it simple and to the point. I liked that a lot! In his fantasy world, Shaun was gay. What follows was not just mind-blowing for him, but for the reader as well. For me to say anything more about the fantasy, at this stage, will spoil the surprising twists and turns for the reader.

I have no negative thoughts to share about this book. The editing was very good, and I only found a handful of errors to report on. My rating for this book is five out of five stars. I thought the author did a great job, around a very sensitive topic, by letting Shaun live two different lives through a very smart application of the genre. How will this affect Shaun's worldview, and attitude, toward the LGBT community when he steps back into the real world?

I would recommend this book to an inclusive adult audience, as there is something in it for everyone, whether you are straight or gay. I would have loved to include young adults as well, but unfortunately, two very explicit intimate scenes do not make that feasible. Sensitive readers should also take note of this.

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Frustrating Fascination
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MsH2k · Post by **MsH2k** » 13 Mar 2023, 19:45

What an interesting story! How fortunate that Sean will have the opportunity to experience the lifestyle of his childhood friend and his ex-wife. I wonder if his mother will ever get the mirror?
Thank you for your well-written take on this read.

Fareed Regal · Post by **Fareed Regal** » 15 Mar 2023, 10:56

MsH2k wrote: ↑13 Mar 2023, 19:45 What an interesting story! How fortunate that Sean will have the opportunity to experience the lifestyle of his childhood friend and his ex-wife. I wonder if his mother will ever get the mirror?
Thank you for your well-written take on this read.

Maybe if we all had similar opportunities to walk in other's shoes we would be more aware of the struggles some people have to endure. Thank you for the comments which are on point, as usual. As for the mirror, I don't know.