Glitterland

Spires, Book 1

By: Alexis Hall

Narrated by: Nicholas Boulton

Once the golden boy of the English literary scene, now a clinically depressed writer of pulp crime fiction, Ash Winters has given up on hope, happiness, and—most of all—himself. He lives his life between the cycles of his illness, haunted by the ghosts of other people’s expectations.

Then a chance encounter throws him into the path of Essex-born Darian Taylor. By his own admission, Darian isn’t the crispest lettuce in the fridge, but he makes Ash laugh, reminding him of what it’s like to step beyond the boundaries of anxiety. But Ash has been living in his own shadow for so long that he can’t see past the glitter to the light. Can a man who doesn’t trust himself ever trust in happiness? And how can a man who doesn’t believe in happiness ever fight for his own?

(P)2023 Dreamscape Media

Emotional wreckage

This series is a trigger minefield. Emotional wreckage. Exquisite sex scenes that actually make it worse. I adore it. Highly recommend.

Dark, funny and heartwarming

Another good one by Alexis Hall. I laughed, I cried (a lot). And good narration on top of it. Do recommend.

Dark romantic story

The main character was hard to like at first yet you warm to his hardness- very true to gay men - the characters are interesting and fun- really enjoyed

A good read overall :)

Overall, I enjoyed this book, but I felt like the narrator was a bit older than the characters were portrayed to be in the book and on the cover. This made it difficult for me to visualize them. I appreciate the author’s depictions of bipolar and depression, as well as the character growth and the beautiful use of words, choices, and descriptions. However, I found it challenging to become fully invested in the characters because I couldn’t visualize them as easily as mentioned. Despite this, I think it’s a cute book, and I’m excited to read the next one.

Honestly, not my fav Hall book

I really like Hall's other novels, but I had a really difficult time getting into this one. I think it boiled down to the fact that I just really disliked the main character. I think there were some really good, important points about mental health, but jeeze the main guy was just SUCH a jerk! If I'd met the couple in real life, I'd be telling his boyfriend there were more fish in the sea. There comes a point where just apologizing for something doesn't make it okay. You have to show that you're changing. I just didn't feel like their relationship ever got to that point, so for me it ended unsatisfyingly.