Until Thanksgiving

When did Josh Freeman’s sex life degenerate into anonymous sex at the local adult bookstore? Maybe when his longtime lover, Ben, needed to take a playmate on the side. Josh goes into a tailspin, but his best friend, and long ago girlfriend, Linda, keeps telling him he needs to take his company’s job offer and move out of Lexington, Kentucky and into the nation’s capital. Finally, Josh agrees.
Moving to Washington DC is definitely out of Josh’s comfort zone, but it has to be better than his life in Lexington. The company assigns Thad Parker to help Josh find a place to live, and the good-looking redhead is more than happy to oblige, especially once he gets a look at the ruggedly handsome Josh. Thad shows Josh a few apartments, saving the best for last, and Josh snaps it up, ending up on the Dupont Circle. Thad neglects to mention he only lives a few blocks away.
Thad and Josh get along very well. Josh accepts Thad’s invitation to a small get-together at a local bar, where he meets a few of Thad’s friends. He finds he is much more in demand than he ever was in Lexington. Except by Thad, who apparently lives with his much older lover, unfortunately for Josh.
Josh discovers that playing the field isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and not everyone is what they appear to be. Including the hunky guy who came on to him, got his phone number, and then never called. Josh is also disturbed by the recent deaths of gay men in the area. The police have no answers, and a serial killer is on the loose somewhere. Disturbing by anyone’s definition.
Until Thanksgiving worked on so many levels for me. The author made me feel like I was a part of the world that Josh moved into. The characters are well-drawn, and it was easy to come to care for Josh and Thad, and hope they would find their way to each other.
I like that Michael didn’t gloss over the sex lives of his characters, or pretend it was always about romance, when for a lot of gay men (and straight) hooking up is all about the sex. Josh begins as a fish out of water, unable to see himself as he really is and how others see him, and he grows and develops throughout the story.
This was the second time I read this book, and even though I knew what was going to happen, it touched me just as much as it did the first time. I was excited, fearful, hopeful... I cried and I laughed. Most of all, I came away with the memory of a very lovely story.
I shall be reading more of Mr. Rupured’s books, rest assured.