Title: The Way Forward, The Chapel Wedding, All the Way, First Kiss (Collection of all 4 books included)
Author: Ben Ricardo / Benito Heyliger
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 978-1-5320-3813-6
Pages: 50, 75, 188, 75
Genre: Erotic, Novella
Reviewed by: Dr. Robert Kayne
Pacific Book Review
The task requested by the author was to bring together four of the books by Benito R. Heyliger into a summation of style, content and impact. With the diversity of each of his books, all being impeccably edited for precision in the use of dialogue and grammar illustrates the penmanship of the skill of this author and his attention to detail. With his dive into the erotic genre in his books The Way Forward and All the Way, Heyliger allows for his reading audience to see another side of what is his ability to explain feelings of which only a subset of people would experience. Those books are a stark contrast to the First Kiss, a tale of an idyllic life-love couple deciding to start a family and the universal appeal of The Chapel Wedding, an event taking place in the area the author was born and raised.
In The Way Forward, by the pen-name author Ben Ricardo, he begins with what is seemingly an innocuous meeting of an attractive middle aged woman, Bianca, in a hardware store talking to a younger, handsome store employee. They each feel their own sensual radar drive their thoughts into carnal desires, when their unspoken, “chemical attraction” is fantasized by each of them long after the initial meeting. The situation develops quite quickly when Johnathan, called by his nickname Jo for short, accepts a side job of completing a deck on the Bianca’s house; where he is introduced to the woman’s husband, Matt. From there it progresses into a group sex relationship, with bi-sexuality and gay sex descriptions vividly and imaginatively written which becomes the theme for the rest of the story. As the book exhibits a potpourri of stimulations for each of the characters, it becomes evident the story would be enjoyable for those of similar sexual persuasion yet odd as “a walk on the wild side” for straight heterosexuals. Descriptions of the sexual activities are abundant, highlighting homosexual stimuli such as when two men kiss feeling the whiskers on the face as an unexpected arousal sensation, having being used to kissing females with soft skin. As The Way Forward was the first of this group of books published by the author, it does demonstrate his ability to write with a balance of dialogue, emotional reveals and quick witted comments, all in an unabashed tell-all about the sexual episodes. Having male with male sex brought to mind the reveals of Brokeback Mountain, and would appeal to such audiences who enjoyed the writing of Annie Proulx or the movie directed by Ang Lee.
The actions of the lady, Bianca, Jo the younger man and Matt are continued in the book titled, All the Way, however the author chooses to scribe this to his real name Benito R. Heyliger. Although once again the build-up and gratuitous exhibition of gay and bi-sexual feelings are the theme, the storyline takes a back seat to the sensual and erotic descriptions. Definitely All the Way has an X-Rating for adult, liberal minded reading only.
In The Chapel Wedding, author Benito Heylinger writes in a most entertaining and humbling fashion the true story of his involvement of being the best man in his friend’s wedding. Set in the exotic island of Aruba, articulating the descriptions of the area – with its pristine beaches, casual and vibrant night life, and warm, balmy breezes blend perfectly into the frolicking of the wedding party just like rum and pineapple with a cherry on top. I particularly enjoyed the bachelor party episode, where the stripper didn’t show up and they needed to act fast, as everything which happened was credible. Unlike the blatant erotica of his other books, the modesty of the inherent sexual undercurrent was kept in check. The fluent cascading of the storyline’s first person narration, along with clear and well edited dialogue and sincere underlying philosophy and wisdom, made this a very quick and enjoyable book. Many people have experienced how a fairy-tale wedding can morph into something totally unexpected, as so in this story many unplanned occurrences change the ebb and flow of events. Heylinger tells it without exaggeration or the need to create factious scenarios. I would certainly recommend The Chapel Wedding because you can go to Aruba mentally without leaving your favorite reading chair. I also see The Chapel Wedding being the type of novella which can be made into a film; as Hollywood is constantly seeking content for screenplay adaptations. This true story has the foundation for visual enhancements given the plush scenery along with realistic characters – being told from the point of view of the best man is perfect.
First Kiss is a classic love story of Tom and Mary with the beginning from their meeting as children, when Tom was 7 and Mary 5; Tom knowing from the moment he saw her they would eventually be married. Unfolding in an enriched chronicle genre of the events, told from the first person, Tom explains his feelings, desires and emotions within his chivalrous courtship and love for Mary. Culminating with the birth of their son, Bobby, First Kiss brings a story in which the author wanted to tell so readers would understand his core values. As the writing skill of the author has been evident in the diversity of work published, It would be nice to have had more of the events written about as it would deepen the understanding from its superficial summation, moving the book from a short story or novella and into a fuller appreciation of the emotional bonds at the foundation of this family.
