From Top To Bottom

First of all, before I go any further, I want to start by saying that this book, for being under 60 pages long, was an unexpected little gem of a read and I didn’t want it to end.

The main character of the story is Tony, who sexually has always been a top. At 29 years old, he decides that he wants to explore his sexuality a little more and has become curious about what it would be like to bottom. The only thing holding him back is the fear of another top hurting him. Tony has a very close relationship with his father, and no topic is off limits between them, especially Tony’s sex life. When Tony mentions to his dad that he wants to try being a bottom his dad plays it off like a joke by making fun of Tony, saying that he’ll now be like the girl in bed. He thinks that Tony needs to grow up and settle down and take a bit more responsibility with his life as he’s too much of free spirit. Not to be deterred by his dad’s skepticism, Tony updates his social media profiles to say that he’s a top, looking for another top who would be interested in exploring bottoming. This is where he meets Butch and Ford. When the three men meet at Tony’s apartment for the first time, Butch tells Tony that he’s in an open relationship with his long-term partner. Ford announces he’s also in a relationship, but his partner doesn’t know that he’s meeting up with the men. From this first meeting, the three men discover that they are very sexually compatible, can get completely comfortable with each other and are able to let go. This new experience has awakened something in each of them that has been dying to get out.

This author has done a fantastic job with this story. It really has everything you can ask for in a book, it’s smutty, but also incredibly funny in parts and then it’s also emotionally deep. We follow these three men on their journey through finding themselves and what happiness is for them, and it isn’t what you’d expect from where it all begins. The story is written in first-person so we get to see the whole experience from Tony’s point of view. The way the author tells the story and how it’s written has you completely immersed, and I really felt like I was part of the little bubble that was created.

From the author bio at the end of the book, we discover that he lives in Australia. This really comes across in the writing as some of the language used makes you aware straight away that it’s not set in the USA. At first, I thought it was British as some words are similar, but this did not affect the story in any way, in actual fact it makes the funny parts funnier, reading it with an Australian accent in your head (I’m sure I’m not the only one who does this *giggles*) just adds to the overall enjoyment.

As I’ve already said, this book was a little gem, I loved every bit of it, and I’m looking forward to reading more by this author. I literally can’t stop the smile that’s on my face.

And now for something completely different….

Well, not really, but it is true that this story is NOT a romance. Don’t read this book if you’re looking for a happily ever after (or even a happy for now) ending. Or if you have an issue with cheating for that matter, although that is not what this story is about.

From Top to Bottom is a comical, graphic, and very erotic tale about three men expanding their sexual horizons (among other things). When Tony first meets Butch and Ford, he is single while Butch is in an open relationship and Ford admits to not having told his partner where he is. All three are curious about bottoming and all three waste no time before they explore each other and the new experience on offer.

While Tony develops a crush for Ford, it is Butch who he spends most time with and who takes him to a few orgies. And one of those sexy gatherings was rather special considering the naked guests were being looked after by a butler in full uniform. And I have to admit I had a soft spot of Butch; I mean who wouldn’t fall at least a little bit for a man who insists on baking cakes to be eaten after the sexy times are over.

There were times when this story tried a bit too hard for me; once or twice both the humour and the sexual descriptions felt a bit forced. Of course I’m more than happy to concede that it is far from impossible that this was a result of my (lack of) sense of humour and personal taste. And it’s true that for every humorous remark that didn’t work for me there were at least five others that had me smiling broadly, if not giggling away to myself.

As for the sex scenes, they were graphic and detailed and at times almost poetic. The resulting combination of crude and lyrical descriptions didn’t always work for me but did fascinate me.

I absolutely adored the conversations between Tony and his father. Supportive parents are of course the salt of the earth, but having a parent take a (literally) active interest in your specific version of sex has to be disconcerting to say the least. Mind you, those talks may have been uncomfortable for Tony, for me as a reader they were nothing short of fabulous.

To summarise, From Top to Bottom was a fascinating, easy, fun and fast read. The story contains a lot of sex, but underneath there’s a beautiful message about taking chances, friendship, personal growth and being open to new experiences. I thoroughly enjoyed the hour it took me to read this book and can see myself picking up something else by Kevin Klehr in the not too distant future; my curiosity has been piqued.