Because this cover skeeved me out.
The men aren’t even attractive for Oprah’s sake. The eighties hair style doesn’t help either.
It’ll be interesting to see how well this books sells, considering that a lot of romance readers aren’t great at embracing older protagonists.
The book is from Loose ID by the way.
Teddypig
November 27
12:26 am
Nah, I reacted the same way. I like distinguished older guys. Neither dude fits that mold though.
They look like Walmart managers.
Teddypig
November 27
12:29 am
One of them probably has a huge drinking problem and the other one is a raging chicken hawk that hangs around park bathrooms looking for the real young ones.
Nonny
November 27
12:41 am
The story description sounds interesting, and it’s something I might actually read. I don’t see many stories about older gay couples, particularly not ones where one of the two guys already has a kid.
This honestly is a case where the cover being true to the story harms marketability. While I think readers wouldn’t necessarily mind the story itself, many skim over covers and look at what’s appealing. The guys on the cover — aren’t. Judging by physical appearance alone, a bare-chested guy my dad’s age is not sexy, it’s just “Ew.”
… and I think this is the only cover of Anne Cain’s I’ve actively disliked. O.O
Teddypig
November 27
12:43 am
Well, even Anne needs good stock to work from. This is one of those things lacking out there in stock photo land.
Bonnie
November 27
12:46 am
That cover is dreadful.
I’m so glad I only read on Kindle.
Tuscan Capo
November 27
1:23 am
My wife took one glimpse a moment ago and walked away laughing. Now she’s shouting Kurt Russel! Al Pacino! Liam Neeson!
I think the problem here is you have two models who look like the actors you see in Cialis commercials: they have decent hair, good dentures, wimpy bodies, and in all regards totally non-threatening. Now if my wife is typical of the LI female readers -and I do believe she is- I say use an older guy who looks like he spends more time behind the wheel of his Viper than trying to decide what bottled water goes with his new cardigan.
Now she’s added Sam Elliot to the list.. gee thanks, Karen, looks like another nite to wear the damned cowboy boots. I hope you and LI are proud of yourselves.
😉
eggs
November 27
3:17 am
The cover’s not THAT bad. Just boring. Maybe they should have used the lemonparty photo instead? One look at it and I knew, irrevocably, that old guys having gay sex was not and never would be a turn on for me. As with all things sexual, YMMV!
B
November 27
8:44 am
You know…I’m not sure the problem really is their age or gender or anything like that.
I find something about it kind of skeevy too. Maybe it’s because of the AS, but I’m drawn immediately to their eyes and smiles. And something about them seems horribly off to me.
It’s like the found the two guys in the world who have the most trouble smiling on command, so it looks awkward and false. Which in turn makes something about it just rub the wrong way. If that makes sense.
(Though the haircuts don’t help, that’s true.)
Teddypig
November 27
10:58 am
That’s it! It’s like a denture commercial gone wrong.
Bernita
November 27
12:18 pm
“They look like Walmart managers.”
~rolling on floor~
Barbara B.
November 27
4:38 pm
They’re both very bland. I’m not repelled by their age but by their generic looks. When I read about gay sexing I’m not interested in the Alan Alda types. Gay or or straight, I like to read about rugged and muscular guys. I want some very hardcore planking going on. These two pepaws probably just cuddle and talk about their feelings.
Anon76
November 27
7:09 pm
Besides the fact the photos immediately brought to my mind two men verging on the Bruce Jenner thing (now that is TRULY scary), the color scheme just so doesn’t rock for me.
When you couple those colors with the skin tones of the two men and that god awful pea-green shirt, well, I’d not stop long enough to read some of the content. And that is so wrong to do to an author, but in reality it happens all the time.
Anya Howard
November 27
9:29 pm
Gay or or straight, I like to read about rugged and muscular guys. I want some very hardcore planking going on. These two pepaws probably just cuddle and talk about their feelings.
My sentiments exactly, Barbara B.! lol
veinglory
November 27
9:36 pm
I love older guys, but these models, not so much.
Angelia Sparrow
November 27
11:45 pm
It’s the teeth and the squinting. The teeth mostly. But the shirt isn’t doing either of them any favors.
Seriously, it doesn’t skeeve me. They look my age, or a little older. Ordinary guys, looking for a little love. May have to check this one out.
Laura
November 28
12:24 am
Am I the only one who thinks they look like they could be brothers?
Fae Sutherland
November 28
1:54 am
I love older men. Silver foxes are hot as I hit mid 30’s and start to look at the early to mid twenties crowd as ‘kids’. But god…give me an Anderson Cooper. A Rahm Emanuel. Tuscan Capo nailed it that they look like they belong in a Cialis or Viagra type commercial. That is *not* sexy.
Christine Rimmer
November 28
2:34 pm
This cover is kind of refreshing, actually. I mean, everyone is always with the “what about mature people in romance?” How come all the guys look like they’re twelve? No worries with this cover. These guys are clearly all grown up.
Fae Sutherland
November 28
3:01 pm
For me it’s not their age, Christine. It’s that they are not attractive. They’re not going to break any mirrors, but as heroes in a romance? Not so much. There are any number of *very* sexy, downright beautiful men of the same age range, I just don’t see anything remotely sexy about either of these guys.
I don’t mind that they look their age. I mind that they don’t look good.
Christine Rimmer
November 30
6:42 pm
Fae, I agree these guys are not the stuff of fantasy. But still. I find this cover refreshing. I really do. These guys are like the guy next door. The *real* guy next door. (!)
Chantal
November 30
11:42 pm
It doesn’t bother me. I’d buy it if it was a different publisher. I have issues with the customer service at Loose ID so I refuse to give them my money anymore.
jmc
December 1
3:22 am
Like Laura @16, I thought they looked like brothers. Once I made sure that was NOT the case via the blurb, I bought a copy, since I’ve liked a couple other books by that author. It wasn’t bad — and certainly it was different to read m/m romance with older characters. Usually the characters either somewhere in their 20s/30s and about the same age, or if there is an age gap, there’s some kind of daddy thing going on. Not here.
Karla
December 1
3:41 pm
I’m with Christine. I like the cover. It just seems…real. And thanks for the input, jmc. I might have to get a copy myself, because I’m getting a bit tired of the same old same old in both het & gay rom.
Keishon
December 3
4:29 am
That made me laugh. The cover, hmmmm. Never would have bought it because they look, well, boring.