The Man I Love (The Fish Tales #1) by Suanne Laqueur

Blurb: The man is Erik “Fish” Fiskare, a student of technical theatre at a Philadelphia university. At twenty-two, he is the lover and soul mate of Daisy Bianco, a beautiful and talented ballerina. His best friend is William Kaeger, Daisy’s charismatic, free-spirited partner.

While deeply in love with Daisy and astonished by their physical passion, Erik is equally confused and fascinated by Will’s bisexuality. Still, he implicitly trusts Will with his thoughts and fears, and relies on Will to always be between Daisy and a ten-foot drop to the floor.

When Will embarks on a disastrous affair with a dancer named James Dow, it pushes Erik’s tolerance and trust to the limit. But rejection pushes James over the edge of sanity, taking Will and Daisy with him and leaving Erik in the ruins. The young stagehand soon discovers that in the face of heartache, grief and betrayal, love is not always enough to make you stay. And sometimes, it’s the only thing that can bring you back.

Spanning fifteen years and following a man’s thrilling emotional journey back to the truth of himself, Laqueur’s debut novel explores the complexities of sexual passion, the dark side of devotion and the futility of running from one’s past. The Man I Love is an epic tale of love and forgiveness that will linger long after the last page is turned.

Favorite Quotes:

Erik sank in his seat and moodily drank his soda, feeling like a slice of Wonder Bread in a basket of croissants.

She wasn’t the first girl to ask him questions about his father’s side of the family. But other girls’ questions always felt like birds pecking at him, wearing him down or tearing him open. Daisy’s curiosity was soft on his skin. She was a beautiful china cup on a table, quietly asking to be filled. And little by little, Erik was tipping over and pouring out.

5 Stars

I’d like to start this review off by saying, I’ve been following Suanne for a while now and feel I can speak to her in this manner.  Whether she likes it or not.

Fuck you Suanne!!!! You broke my heart! Then put it back together.

I just….I’m sad, but happy and I don’t know what to do now.  I feel all broken up inside and I need a minute to gather my thoughts.  This woman can write y’all! Her dialogue, her descriptions and her metaphors are just perfection!  It was subtle and conspicuous all at the same time.  She wrote so eloquently that it seemed real.  I believed it could happen.

At first I had no idea where the story was going, but it was interesting enough for me to keep reading. Once I got to 45 percent I knew I was in for one hell of a heartbreaking ride. I cried, so many times. Sometimes I would just hover at the chin wobbly stage for long periods of time not knowing what was gonna happen, but knowing I would hurt by the end of it.

I wanted to comfort Erik one minute, then slap him the next.  And Daisy!  She tried so hard to make it right, she never gave up.  They both went through so much and I’m afraid to read the next one.  I’m not ready yet.  I need some recovery time.

Oh, just fucking read it already!