Five Dares

Two longtime friends unexpectedly become lovers in a tender and amusing romantic take on the parable about heaven, hell, and long-handled spoons. When Andy and Jake graduate from NYU, they’re both afraid of the distance that life will put between them. Best friends since seventh grade, Andy is a prankster with Jake his willing accomplice, until a stunt at their graduation from NYU leaves them both with serious burns to their hands. They spend the rest of the summer mostly alone together in a cottage, wishing their injuries hadn’t left them unable to masturbate. When Andy, who’s always assumed he’s straight, dares bisexual Jake to help him get off, the sexual tension rises, and it becomes increasingly difficult to hide their secret mutual attraction. The interactions between the two are by turns sweet, passionate, and quite erotic, and, though their situation is slightly implausible, the characters’ history and chemistry more than make up for any shortcomings. Fans of queer erotic romance will surely enjoy these two young men discovering each other in the space they’ve carved out beyond the day-to-day. (Oct.)