Come with a Friend by Patient Lee

Come with a Friend is, as you likely have already guessed, a sweet little double entendre that actually says a lot about the read. This is a story where everything has another side, another meaning, or another explanation. As we discover in the opening pages, Patient Lee has crafted a story that is not just sweet and sexy, but deep and daring as well.

Seriously, how many erotic tales can you think of that begin with the stark image of a young man, decked out in a prom dress, being held at gunpoint by his father - while his mother lies dead behind them? Yeah, given that opening, it is not surprising that Jason spends his days making morbid lists and thinking about suicide. He is a young man tormented by his past, and very much confused about his future.

This is a story of friendship . . . of coming out . . . and of coming together. The way in which it keeps coming back to that first image, of Jason wearing a prom dress, is actually quite delightful, putting a sweetly nostalgic spin on what existed before the violence. Ultimately, Patient Lee takes us to a cloakroom rendezvous that reminds us love is stronger than hate, and that sometimes we really don’t know what we had until it is lost.

Reviewed by Sally