The Spice Rack: Unexpected Roommates Become Much More
- Amanda Hayes
- Jan 19, 2024
- 8 min read
Spice comes in many forms and varieties---both literally and in literature---and that is why this section has been titled The Spice Rack. Some like their spice, like cinnamon and clove, just enough to get your heart going but more of an add-on than a focal point. Others prefer a more even split, like paprika or coriander, where it is very much present and sharing the stage with the story. But those who like to live on the edge know that the best spice comes from the ones, like black pepper or chili flakes, that will just not be ignored. They take center stage and really turn the heat up on the full blast. Regardless of where you fall on your spice intake, one thing is for sure: there is something out there for everyone.
Today, we are diving into two books that, while very different in nature and context, both take the popular roommates trope on a heated journey that delivers two steamy masterpieces. As a reminder, below is the structure of our Sticky Scale.
Wax
The first of the three ratings---and the one to which we dedicate this post---is Wax. Anyone who has previously handled wax knows it can be a slippery substance, but it becomes brittle when dried. Therefore, Wax books have no explicit sensuality. Physical romance
may be described in general terms or implied, but your innocence will remain intact.
Honey
Moving up a step, the second rating is Honey. As you can imagine, honey is significantly stickier than wax, but more importantly, it is sweeter. Honey's monthly section is The Sweet Spot because these books will be the perfect option for those looking for a more...
adventurous read while not devolving into spicy territory. In simpler terms, think fade to black. There is sure to be moderate sensuality, and physical actions will be described and detailed but will not be explicitly written. If you're unsure of whether you are ready for a
true spicy book, these recommendations are sure to help!
Nectar
At last, we have arrived at the last of the ratings: Nectar. These books are not for the faint of heart; I can guarantee you that. Nectar's monthly section has been deemed The Spice Rack (if you know, you know). These books will have your blood flowing, your palms
sweating, and your heartbeat racing. Whether you're into the sweet stuff, the taboos, or any of the laundry list of kinks out there, this section will surely have something for you! Be warned, our Nectar recommendations will have explicit sensuality and go beyond what is
appropriate for anyone under the age of 18. Sex will be written in graphic detail, and there is always a chance that acts beyond intercourse may make an appearance. So strap in, grab your favorite drink, and settle into your favorite spot as you venture into a world of
new experiences, or revisit your favorite smutty reads.
A Journey of Self-Preservation
Surviving Against the Odds
It is a story that too often reflects the reality that many face. A daughter forced to fend for herself in the face of a parent who has chosen addiction and abuse over their own child. Fresh out of high school and with college on the horizon, Samantha finds herself without a home. Faced with homelessness after being abandoned by her mother, she turns to her family for help, specifically her cousin. She ends up joining Levi and his cousin, who are in need of a third roommate, and all of her problems seem to be solved for the summer as she waits to start her next chapter. But life often has a way of stepping in and forcing our lives in a direction we could never have anticipated. In Samantha's case, life comes in the form of the hot, sexy barista who likes to write songs and can cook. As if that weren't every person's wet dream already, just imagine how convenient it is to have that very person living in the room right beside your own.
It is a recipe for disaster that would lead Samantha to risk her newly found home, but luckily for her, she is very much not Levi's type. Yeah, right, we've heard that excuse before, haven't we? The unlikely lovers find themselves impossibly drawn together, and what begins as platonic roommates quickly spirals into a story that would have your grandmother blushing (not that we suggest reading this together). It is a story of facing the demons and traumas of the past and learning to love ourselves and allow others to love us. We all yearn to find that person who stands as our light in the dark and offers the comfort and safety that we all desire. And between Samantha and Levi, the journey to finding that in each other is sure to have your heart racing as much for the story as it does for the spice.
From Roommates to Lovers
And out of the steam emerges our first Spice Rack pick this month: Watch Me by Allie Winters.
Samantha needs a place to stay ASAP when her living arrangements fall through. She shouldn’t have any trouble resisting her new roommate, despite how much she finds herself connecting with him. Levi has no interest in the beautiful blonde living in the room next door. She’s not his type. Not even when it turns out she’s nothing like he expected. She’s only there for the summer, so it shouldn’t be a big deal to act on this attraction before she leaves. It doesn’t have to mean anything, right? |
In the second novel of her Suncoast University series, Allie Winters continues to live up to he signature ability to write authentic, relatable, and likable characters navigating through the challenges that life brings as we mature. At the core of the story are two young adults, both trying to discover who they are and thrown together by a twist of fate that will leave their heads spinning as their minds race to catch up to the fate their bodies accept from the day they meet. Amidst their match to the flame that is their budding romance, the two must also face the challenges of growing up, Samantha's looming departure for college at the end of summer, and the trauma that her past with an drug addicted mother and her abusive boyfriend have left on her soul. And as this story so beautifully demonstrates, there is always life after. Sometimes, it just takes finding the right person, or people, to help you see and accept that truth.
Allie Winters is the author of the Crescent Pass series, the Lessons Learned series, the Bishop Brothers series, and the Suncoast University series. She live in Florida with her family and two cats. A librarian by day, she spends her nights writing happily ever afters. She enjoys reading, playing video games, and all things Disney. You can learn more about Winters and explore her many works at alliewinters.com.
A Journey of Self Discovery
A Visit to 1980's Italy
Italy, from time of the early Roman Empire, had once held a lax attitude of homosexuality and same-sex relationships. This to the point that at one time, the Empire would regulate and tax male prostitution for profit. This seems a fact hard to believe as during its later years, the Roman Empire adopted a stricter view on same-sex relations as it embraced the religious standards. By the 4th Century A.D., same sex relations were punishable by death. In the years that followed, Italy underwent many transformations and conflicts and as time always seems to bring, homosexuality underwent many changes throughout the year is how it was treated, viewed, punished, or celebrated. By the 20th century, Homosexuality had once again been legalized.
By the 1980's homosexuality was starting to become a more accepted concept among the nation, however, one might note that as the home nation of The Vatican, and as such the heart of the Catholic religion, the nation his one that makes slow progress in this sphere. Today, it is reported that approximately 75% of the Italian population identifies their religion as Catholic, a religion that for much of global history has been the staunchest opponent of homosexuality. Therefore, despite the general Italian legalization of same-sex relationships by the 1980's, the nation was still very much a dangerous place for homosexual couples.
And it is during this time that we find the setting of our next story, during a time when homosexuality was in a sort of limbo between religion and government in the nation, along the Italian Riviera. The Italian Riviera, known for its renown beaches, artful towns, and its tantamount beauty has long been one of the most popular and visited tourist destinations across the globe. It is here where we meet Elio, a seventeen year old boy, who is is spending the summer at his family's home on the Riviera, joined by Oliver, a twenty-four year old American exchange student. The attraction between the two is one that festers and grows despite their resistance to a culmination that brings the two together. Yet, despite the general turmoil regarding homosexuality int he country at large, the story does not seem to find much of an issue in this regards. Elio finds that his parents are open-minded and generally accepting o the relationship and he finds the freedom to explore his sexuality and relationship with Oliver.
Love and Loss Through Unexpected Roommates
As we explore the rich history and beauty of the Italian Riviera, we will find that the backdrop is merely an added bonus to the story that unfurls in André Aciman's Call Me By Your Name.
Call Me by Your Name is the story of a sudden and powerful romance that blossoms between an adolescent boy and a summer guest at his parents' cliff-side mansion on the Italian Riviera. Unprepared for the consequences of their attraction, at first each feigns indifference. But during the restless summer weeks that follow, unrelenting buried currents of obsession and fear, fascination and desire, intensify their passion as they test the charged ground between them. What grows from the depths of their spirits is a romance of scarcely six weeks' duration and an experience that marks them for a lifetime. For what the two discover on the Riviera and during a sultry evening in Rome is the one thing both already fear they may never truly find again: total intimacy. |
With a story told primarily through the lens of seventeen-year-old Elio, a boy just on the edge of adulthood facing the burgeoning attraction for a man he has only just met, we are in for a bumpy ride. Attraction and sexuality are concepts that all young adults are forced to come to terms with as they mature, and for many it is often a long and painful journey to find who they are. Elio finds himself faced with this very challenge as his attraction to Oliver blossoms and the two men find themselves on the cusp of a relationship that is as taboo as it is enticing. We get to experience first-hand how Elio develops as we are brought into his mind to experience his dreams, emotions, thoughts, fantasies, and fears all the while he navigates his attraction and becomes entangled with Oliver in a romance that will leave you on the edge of your seat to see what happens next.
Aciman proves to be a literary wordsmith as he expertly weaves together the love story of Elio and Oliver while never losing sight of the fact that the two face many challenges, the least of which is their age difference. Finding themselves spending the summer in the same house brings its own challenges as Elio finds himself surrounded by Oliver and his never-ending thoughts of attraction for the man. As Elio explores that attraction and allows himself the freedom to experiment and discover, a love story unlike many others emerges. With an ending that is as bittersweet as the novel's most famous, albeit controversial, scene, Elio and Oliver's story is sure to have your heart racing as it plummets to Oliver's inevitable departure at the end of the summer. It is important to note that while Call Me By Your Name may not be as explicit as you may expect from this post, this section is also meant to highlight books that feature taboo topics as well.
André Aciman was born in Alexandria, Egypt and is an American memoirist, essayist, novelist, and scholar of seventeenth-century literature. He received his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Harvard University, has taught at Princeton and Bard and is Distinguished Professor of Comparative Literature at The CUNY Graduate Center. He is currently chair of the Ph. D. Program in Comparative Literature and founder and director of The Writers' Institute at the Graduate Center. Aciman is the author of the Whiting Award-winning memoir Out of Egypt (1995), an account of his childhood as a Jew growing up in post-colonial Egypt. Aciman has published two other books: False Papers: Essays in Exile and Memory (2001), and a novel Call Me By Your Name (2007), which was chosen as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and won the Lambda Literary Award for Men's Fiction (2008). You can follow Aciman on Goodreads and Instagram to keep up to date with his works.
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