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Vignettes from Jasper Lane #2
Suburbilicious
Take another turn down Jasper Lane, the well-off neighborhood where gay porn parties, fresh cheesecake, and friendly busybodies welcome newcomers while a dog named Gayhound helps with the landscaping. Cassie Bloom is thrilled her son Jason is home, but she's worried about the secrets buried around the house, especially when a scary-looking stranger starts spying on her! Rick and James are basking in the blush of love--or is it the flush of jealousy as Rick's rugby teammate starts hanging around?--and the flamboyantly gay Terrence is off bonding with his newly discovered son, Christian. Melinda, divorced from her stuffy husband, is looking to dip her toe in the dating pool, but she's got one problem: her potential date's embarrassing last name. Steve and Sandy Jones are now proud parents, but Sandy's got to find something to do with herself, and running for office in the Gay Porn Wives Club may be just the ticket. And remember, it's a do-unto-others mentality on Jasper Lane, so when lesbian couple Asha and Keiko move in and Sandy helps Keiko get a directing job at Steve's gay porn film company, it's par for the course!
226 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
3 people are currently reading
131 people want to read
About the author
Eric Arvin
47 books564 followersEric Arvin resided in the same sleepy Indiana river town where he grew up. He graduated from Hanover College with a Bachelors in History. He has lived, for brief periods, in Italy and Australia. He has survived brain surgery and his own loud-mouthed personal demons. Eric is the author of WOKE UP IN A STRANGE PLACE, THE MINGLED DESTINIES OF CROCODILES & MEN, SUBSURDITY, SIMPLE MEN, and various other sundry and not-so-sundry writings.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 31, 2010
This sequel to the hilarious and witty Subsurdity will be eagerly consumed by fans. For the most part, the engaging, outrageous antics of the residents of Jasper Lane deliver a fast paced, entertaining ride but this sequel lacks the same level of humorous impact as its predecessor. While continuing with many of the same quips and gags as in the first book, this sequel has a continuous feel as if the previous book never ended. Unfortunately, while this works on one level, the downside to that is some of the jokes run a little old and stale. There are a few new twists and turns in the sequel and it continues the story lines from the first, but nothing jumps out as particularly new, fresh, and fabulous. Perhaps the high bar of the first is difficult to maintain, however, the quick enjoyable pace and outrageous characters won’t cause too many sighs of disappointment.
This installment follows many of the same residents as the previous novel but now most have settled into their respective houses on Jasper Lane. The antics don’t stop there though as stereotypical Terrence is surprised with a vacation to a religious campground to bond with his son, Christian but can’t help bringing his own brand of drama. Back in the suburb though, drama abounds between the Gay Porn Wives Club while jealousy, murder mystery, and bedroom kinkiness all get thrown into the mix of craziness. New couples, old couples, and long lost sons all come to inject the “gay housewives” with their over the top actions.
Once again the author shows a real flair for writing and comedy. The stereotypical and outrageous characters are never dull even as they slide slightly into predictable. Often the quick dialogue invites the reader to laugh along with the characters and their self acknowledged insanity while attempting to top each other with the height of their drama. Some of these run slightly stale as they are continued jokes from the first book and lack a fresh and interesting take that the author is well capable of delivering. However, the almost constant humor amid ridiculous settings and arguments will delight fans and keep the story moving fast past any bumps in the road.
As told from multiple view points, the head hoping has settled down somewhat and serves two purposes. It allows the reader to see everything and everyone as they experience the day to day absurdity while never lingering on any one storyline too long. Unfortunately, some of the storylines are more interesting than others and thus had me wanting to get back to the more interesting characters much faster. There are also a number of details thrown in that are later dropped or not explained. These dangling threads may or may not be wrapped up in future editions of the series but did serve to throw in some disjointed scenes. The new lesbian couple is completely underused and almost forgettable except for the last scene. Additionally the truly fabulous personalities of Cassie and Vera shine in their scenes as does the utterly ridiculous but engaging Cliff.
However for every jarring moment, the humor and snappy dialogue continues to deliver an entertaining punch and distract from any problematic aspects. The story ends on another cliffhanger with the material for the next book laid at the end of this offering. The potential for a darker tone is interesting although the focus shifting to some characters such as Melinda is not my favorite. But I trust the author’s writing and sense of the absurd enough to want to follow wherever he may go. Be sure to pick up this sequel and laugh out loud with the over the top, completely ridiculous, totally quirky and thoroughly fabulous residents of Jasper Lane.
This installment follows many of the same residents as the previous novel but now most have settled into their respective houses on Jasper Lane. The antics don’t stop there though as stereotypical Terrence is surprised with a vacation to a religious campground to bond with his son, Christian but can’t help bringing his own brand of drama. Back in the suburb though, drama abounds between the Gay Porn Wives Club while jealousy, murder mystery, and bedroom kinkiness all get thrown into the mix of craziness. New couples, old couples, and long lost sons all come to inject the “gay housewives” with their over the top actions.
Once again the author shows a real flair for writing and comedy. The stereotypical and outrageous characters are never dull even as they slide slightly into predictable. Often the quick dialogue invites the reader to laugh along with the characters and their self acknowledged insanity while attempting to top each other with the height of their drama. Some of these run slightly stale as they are continued jokes from the first book and lack a fresh and interesting take that the author is well capable of delivering. However, the almost constant humor amid ridiculous settings and arguments will delight fans and keep the story moving fast past any bumps in the road.
As told from multiple view points, the head hoping has settled down somewhat and serves two purposes. It allows the reader to see everything and everyone as they experience the day to day absurdity while never lingering on any one storyline too long. Unfortunately, some of the storylines are more interesting than others and thus had me wanting to get back to the more interesting characters much faster. There are also a number of details thrown in that are later dropped or not explained. These dangling threads may or may not be wrapped up in future editions of the series but did serve to throw in some disjointed scenes. The new lesbian couple is completely underused and almost forgettable except for the last scene. Additionally the truly fabulous personalities of Cassie and Vera shine in their scenes as does the utterly ridiculous but engaging Cliff.
However for every jarring moment, the humor and snappy dialogue continues to deliver an entertaining punch and distract from any problematic aspects. The story ends on another cliffhanger with the material for the next book laid at the end of this offering. The potential for a darker tone is interesting although the focus shifting to some characters such as Melinda is not my favorite. But I trust the author’s writing and sense of the absurd enough to want to follow wherever he may go. Be sure to pick up this sequel and laugh out loud with the over the top, completely ridiculous, totally quirky and thoroughly fabulous residents of Jasper Lane.
June 28, 2012
Another hilarious book by Eric Arvin.
In this sequel to Subsurdity we catch up with the quirky characters of Jasper Lane as well as meet some new ones. There are old secrets that are threatened to be exposed and there are some new ones thrown in.
Terrence and his son (Christian) go on a father/son camping trip that isn't quite what Terrence is expecting (he has got to be one of my favorite gay characters ever). Cassie's son comes home for awhile but acts mysterious. Vera goes a little undercover to expose a creepy new neighbor and gets more than she bargains for. James and Rick are well, James and Rick. Rick has a jealousy issue that is resolved in a way that I was totally not expecting (which was perfect). Cliff is still the porn king and David is totally devoted to him. Sandy and Steve aren't quite the Ken and Barbie couple that they were in Subsurdity. Melinda steps out of her little stepford persona and does so in a very BIG way. Her son (Patrick) comes home during an awkward moment (that had me laughing out loud). Becky is Becky. A lesbian couple moves into the neighborhood. Gayhound is Gayhound. There's lots of coffee, gossip, alcohol and laughs.
This jumps right in almost immediately after Subsurdity which was perfect for me as I only read that a couple of days go. The characters are a blast. As with the first book, there are several stories going on at one time but in no way did I get confused. Just enough time is given for each before jumping to another. The ending was absolutely perfect.
This is my 5th or 6th by Eric Arvin. I have been a huge fan since my first by him, Woke Up In A Strange Place (which is amazing by the way) and I have only become a bigger fan with each book or short story I've read. In each of my other reviews I've gone on about how much I love his writing style. He obviously has a kick-ass sense of humor that is translated into his books perfectly.
I can not wait for SuburbaNights. I will be one of the first to buy when it comes out.
In this sequel to Subsurdity we catch up with the quirky characters of Jasper Lane as well as meet some new ones. There are old secrets that are threatened to be exposed and there are some new ones thrown in.
Terrence and his son (Christian) go on a father/son camping trip that isn't quite what Terrence is expecting (he has got to be one of my favorite gay characters ever). Cassie's son comes home for awhile but acts mysterious. Vera goes a little undercover to expose a creepy new neighbor and gets more than she bargains for. James and Rick are well, James and Rick. Rick has a jealousy issue that is resolved in a way that I was totally not expecting (which was perfect). Cliff is still the porn king and David is totally devoted to him. Sandy and Steve aren't quite the Ken and Barbie couple that they were in Subsurdity. Melinda steps out of her little stepford persona and does so in a very BIG way. Her son (Patrick) comes home during an awkward moment (that had me laughing out loud). Becky is Becky. A lesbian couple moves into the neighborhood. Gayhound is Gayhound. There's lots of coffee, gossip, alcohol and laughs.
This jumps right in almost immediately after Subsurdity which was perfect for me as I only read that a couple of days go. The characters are a blast. As with the first book, there are several stories going on at one time but in no way did I get confused. Just enough time is given for each before jumping to another. The ending was absolutely perfect.
This is my 5th or 6th by Eric Arvin. I have been a huge fan since my first by him, Woke Up In A Strange Place (which is amazing by the way) and I have only become a bigger fan with each book or short story I've read. In each of my other reviews I've gone on about how much I love his writing style. He obviously has a kick-ass sense of humor that is translated into his books perfectly.
I can not wait for SuburbaNights. I will be one of the first to buy when it comes out.
April 21, 2012
Another great addition to the Jasper Lane series. In this book we revisit all our old friends and make a few new ones. Jason, Cassie's estranged son, has finally come home. A lesbian couple, Keiko and Asha, move in. A very strange, creepy man, is renting "cock-ring-girl's" old house. James has a new buddy on his Rugby team named Seth. Terrance makes some friends when he takes his son, Chris, to a father/son camp.
This book was not quite as fast-paced as the last book, but it did have the same delightful feel. I loved learning more about the lives of the Jasper Lane crew and enjoyed seeing Melinda morph from the stick-up-her-butt always proper Christian housewife, to a more uninhibited version as she dates High School wrestling coach, Coach Nipple. Cassie and Vera join forces to ensure their secret from book one doesn't get revealed, and Rick grapples with jealousy when he feels Seth is vying for James' affection. I also had fun with Terrance's antics at the father/son camp. His personality really cracks me up.
The subplot about Sandy I thought was a little bit uninteresting, maybe because I didn't really love her in the first book. Probably because I didn't understand the whole stay at home housewife aspect of her and Steve's relationship. I can understand stay-at-home mom, but not stay-at-home-housewife-sunbathing-in-the-nude-while-my-husband-is-laid-off. At any rate, I thought her relationship with BFF, Cliff, was cute, but aside from that, Sandy doesn't really bring anything to the table for me. I think I would've liked it better if she stayed in a secondary role instead of having more of a starring role in this episode.
But other than that, I really enjoyed this book and I hope to hell Eric Arvin is planning on a third book. Because that ending, Eric? WTF Dude?
This book was not quite as fast-paced as the last book, but it did have the same delightful feel. I loved learning more about the lives of the Jasper Lane crew and enjoyed seeing Melinda morph from the stick-up-her-butt always proper Christian housewife, to a more uninhibited version as she dates High School wrestling coach, Coach Nipple. Cassie and Vera join forces to ensure their secret from book one doesn't get revealed, and Rick grapples with jealousy when he feels Seth is vying for James' affection. I also had fun with Terrance's antics at the father/son camp. His personality really cracks me up.
The subplot about Sandy I thought was a little bit uninteresting, maybe because I didn't really love her in the first book. Probably because I didn't understand the whole stay at home housewife aspect of her and Steve's relationship. I can understand stay-at-home mom, but not stay-at-home-housewife-sunbathing-in-the-nude-while-my-husband-is-laid-off. At any rate, I thought her relationship with BFF, Cliff, was cute, but aside from that, Sandy doesn't really bring anything to the table for me. I think I would've liked it better if she stayed in a secondary role instead of having more of a starring role in this episode.
But other than that, I really enjoyed this book and I hope to hell Eric Arvin is planning on a third book. Because that ending, Eric? WTF Dude?
June 4, 2011
4.5 stars
This was a fun and even more campy sequel to Subsurdity. The continuation of the lives of the varied and outlandish residents of Jasper Lane are even more outrageous than before. There are a few new faces, a few old secrets and new details, and even more surprise revelations. All I need to know now is -- When do we get more? It's been two years since this sequel came out and I REALLY need to know what happens next :)
This was a fun and even more campy sequel to Subsurdity. The continuation of the lives of the varied and outlandish residents of Jasper Lane are even more outrageous than before. There are a few new faces, a few old secrets and new details, and even more surprise revelations. All I need to know now is -- When do we get more? It's been two years since this sequel came out and I REALLY need to know what happens next :)
July 23, 2012
hilarious...
May 8, 2017
I do hope that Eric Arvin got to have a chuckle about predicting, as this 2009 written story features President Trump - though she is the president of the Gay Porn Wives club - and is a domineering leader, ruling by threat, with a few hidden secrets!
You definitely need to have read the first installment to have any clue what would be going on, and even then it is all a confusing, larger than life WTH sort of story.
Cassie and Vera continue to be troubled by Jackson, and his wayward brother Jefferson. Melinda gets to walk on the wild side, Rick gets jealous, Cliff gets to make his porn movie, there's an election (President Trump again!!) and Terrance once agin provides a lot of the laughs.
Not for the serious but taken as a mad cap fantasy, it is fun
You definitely need to have read the first installment to have any clue what would be going on, and even then it is all a confusing, larger than life WTH sort of story.
Cassie and Vera continue to be troubled by Jackson, and his wayward brother Jefferson. Melinda gets to walk on the wild side, Rick gets jealous, Cliff gets to make his porn movie, there's an election (President Trump again!!) and Terrance once agin provides a lot of the laughs.
Not for the serious but taken as a mad cap fantasy, it is fun
March 9, 2010
This is a totally different kind of book for me. It was the book someone else picked for me. At first I would have only given it 2 or 3 stars, but after some thinking I have decided to give it 4 stars. It was a well written book and has loads of characters. I had to write the characters down to keep them all straight. It was kind of like reading a soap opera. There was hardly any sex or kinky stuff. It was mostly about the lives of all these characters. You do find yourself wanting to know more about each character. When I finished the book I ordered the second book right away. I have not started reading it, but it does say something that I did put it on my kindle.
November 17, 2010
Fun, funny novel made of intertwining stories in the tradition of "Tales of the City." Arvin's Jasper Lane books have a nice mix of the sweet and the sassy, the serious and the sexy. I'm hoping the cliffhanger in the concluding chapter of this volume indicates there's a third volume in the works.
January 17, 2012
Suburbilicious was a delightful second romp through Jasper Lane. Lots more drama, intrigue, and scandal.
As always, Eric Arvin writes with flourish and style. He makes it easy to get lost in the story and provides and pleasurable escape.
Can’t wait for the third installment of Jasper Lane.
September 21, 2010
This one didn't sparkle as much as the first in the series, but it was still a great read!! These characters are so endearing and I really enjoy seeing each one move forward in their story in conjunction with their neighbors. But man, at the cliffhanger!!!! That was just *mean* Mr. Arvin!!!!
September 14, 2011
This is me bowing down to the comedic talent that is Eric Arvin....I don't know how he does it, but this book is another that kept me laughing from beginning to end. I wish I had a mind twisted enough to come up with funny stuff like this.
Another five star read!
Another five star read!
February 29, 2016
Eric is so good with the farce. I can see coming up with some of these scenes during a night of alcohol and hilarity. Eric Arvin wrote these scenes and so well, that would have only been part of my regretful headache the next day.
April 20, 2012
There wasn't a bit in this book that I didn't like, and that's saying something. Laughed throughout the entire story and I want to live on that street. Preferably in Cassie's house. :)
April 18, 2015
Though not as funny as Subsurdity, it was still very entertaining and had me laughing out loud several times :)
September 9, 2015
Quirky, humorous story about the continuing going's on of the people living on Jasper Lane. Lives entwine, friends are made and lost, and secrets revealed.
Recommended
Recommended
April 13, 2012
Another fun installment to this soap opera like series.
December 12, 2012
The Absurdity continues, and so do the laughs.
July 25, 2017
Another great addition to the Jasper Lane series. In this book we revisit all our old friends and make a few new ones. Jason, Cassie's estranged son, has finally come home. A lesbian couple, Keiko and Asha, move in. A very strange, creepy man, is renting "cock-ring-girl's" old house. James has a new buddy on his Rugby team named Seth. Terrance makes some friends when he takes his son, Chris, to a father/son camp.
This book was not quite as fast-paced as the last book, but it did have the same delightful feel. I loved learning more about the lives of the Jasper Lane crew and enjoyed seeing Melinda morph from the stick-up-her-butt always proper Christian housewife, to a more uninhibited version as she dates High School wrestling coach, Coach Nipple. Cassie and Vera join forces to ensure their secret from book one doesn't get revealed, and Rick grapples with jealousy when he feels Seth is vying for James' affection. I also had fun with Terrance's antics at the father/son camp. His personality really cracks me up.
The subplot about Sandy I thought was a little bit uninteresting, maybe because I didn't really love her in the first book. Probably because I didn't understand the whole stay at home housewife aspect of her and Steve's relationship. I can understand stay-at-home mom, but not stay-at-home-housewife-sunbathing-in-the-nude-while-my-husband-is-laid-off. At any rate, I thought her relationship with BFF, Cliff, was cute, but aside from that, Sandy doesn't really bring anything to the table for me. I think I would've liked it better if she stayed in a secondary role instead of having more of a starring role in this episode.
But other than that, I really enjoyed this book and I hope to hell Eric Arvin is planning on a third book. Because that ending, Eric? WTF Dude?
This book was not quite as fast-paced as the last book, but it did have the same delightful feel. I loved learning more about the lives of the Jasper Lane crew and enjoyed seeing Melinda morph from the stick-up-her-butt always proper Christian housewife, to a more uninhibited version as she dates High School wrestling coach, Coach Nipple. Cassie and Vera join forces to ensure their secret from book one doesn't get revealed, and Rick grapples with jealousy when he feels Seth is vying for James' affection. I also had fun with Terrance's antics at the father/son camp. His personality really cracks me up.
The subplot about Sandy I thought was a little bit uninteresting, maybe because I didn't really love her in the first book. Probably because I didn't understand the whole stay at home housewife aspect of her and Steve's relationship. I can understand stay-at-home mom, but not stay-at-home-housewife-sunbathing-in-the-nude-while-my-husband-is-laid-off. At any rate, I thought her relationship with BFF, Cliff, was cute, but aside from that, Sandy doesn't really bring anything to the table for me. I think I would've liked it better if she stayed in a secondary role instead of having more of a starring role in this episode.
But other than that, I really enjoyed this book and I hope to hell Eric Arvin is planning on a third book. Because that ending, Eric? WTF Dude?
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews