Loved this - a great picture of the late 1950's and Russell and Skip were immediately recognisable and grabbed me straight away. Recommended.

A very touching 1950's gay love story.

I'm not sure how to describe how I felt about Aqua Follies except to say that I loved it. It's the first book I've read by Liv Rancourt but it won't be the last. Aqua Follies is set in 1955; coincidentally the year I was born. As the book blurb says it was a time of postwar exuberance, conformity, rock and roll, and - homophobia.

Russell is in Seattle as an assistant coach with his aunt's group, the Aqua Dears, a synchronized swim team performing in the Aqua Follies at the 1955 Seattle Seafair. Russell knows what he is, that he prefers men over women, but that's against the law so he's determined to settle down and make a life with his girl, Susie.

Skip is a horn player, whose music is hauntingly beautiful, and he plays in the Aqua Follies band. When they look at each other across the audience, a silent, yet powerful, link is formed. Despite the law, and all of the things that are against them, these two men form a deep connection in the space of a few days.

This story touched me on so many levels. As a child, I remember watching synchronized swimmers on TV and I also performed a very small routine one summer during a show at my local swimming pool. So, reading about the Aqua Follies and the Seattle Seafair (an actual event that still takes place) brought back a lot of memories for me.

To read about Russell trying to suppress who he really is and the things that he and Skip have to do just so they can be together was at times heart wrenching. I wanted to hate Russell's "girlfriend," Susie but she had her own things to deal with.

Aqua Follies gave me a bit of a book hangover; it's a story that I will be thinking about for a while and considering how many books I read, that's saying something.

A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.

***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***

3,3 stars

Even if I don't rate it very high, I think that Aqua Follies will meet the expectations of all MM romance readers. It is a typical romance novel, with a MUST BE HEA, likable characters, with the right dose of drama and- what I really appreciate-just the right amount of sex scenes. (Many MM romance writers tend to exaggerations here.) The historical setting is well done, the plot delivers a credible atmosphere of the 1950s without being too political that can perfectly suit also readers who normally don’t read historical.

The plot::

Summer 1955. Seattle. Russel who has recently graduated from the Law School took a summer job s as the assistant coach of the water ballet during its summer tour across the country. It’s a good possibility to help his Aunt Maude, a team coach, and to propose to his fiancée Susie who is one of a dancer of the twenty-four Aqua Dears.


His life seems to be regulated and already carefully planned: he’ll marry Susie, land a job in his hometown in Minnesota, buy a house, and she’ll give him babies. More importantly, the wedding will give his parents something to be happy about.

Only Russel’s plans for the future and his apparently stable and lukewarm life begins to fall apart when he gets to know Skip, trumpet player of the big band that accompanies the show., Russel, a closet case, has never felt such a strong attraction toward a man in his life. And Skip, a horn player, who actually goes much easier with his own sexuality and sexually more experienced, is fascinated by a reserved Midwest stranger. Does their relationship has a chance?

And how can they manage to stay together in the homophobic world where two adult men don’t play house? And more important, is Russel with his rational mind is able to make the right decision? Can he sacrifice his apparent secure life in lies without passion for a man he falls in love with?

I was a bit worried about the denouement of the plot at the last part of the book. When the problems that appeared impossible at the beginning started unexpectedly to solve themselves easily toward the end, I smelled a trap: I was sure the author tried to lull me in order to slap me with a blasting twist when I the least expected it . But fortunately THAT has never happened: the events that seemed to be fatal turned into a trifling matter, the obstacles were smoothly overcome and every conflict has been nicely solved. It is why the story became rather a Walt Disney fairy tale at the end that per se is not a bad thing, but made the whole story-line a bit less realistic to me.

Overall- a sweet MM romance with a light touch of historical atmosphere that satisfy every romantic soul.

this was a sweet and realistic romance with interesting characters, but it didn't quite click for me. i suspect this is to do with the setting, as i've never really been particularly interested in 1950s america (i mean, i've never even seen grease! i know, i know). i think a lot of people will love this though and it was just a personal thing for me, so if you like the sound of the synopsis you should probably go for it!

new author for me,after reading Aqua Follies,I will be reading more
from her.
It is well written,I`m not from the fifties,bud my mom is.
The story reflects its well.
I enjoyed it,the romance between russel and skip.is well developed.
nice pace.not fluff just a good book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC.
I enjoyed this book thoroughly.
It is set in Seattle in 1955 and Liv Rancourt has captured the feel of the 50's perfectly.It just exudes the atmosphere of that period without being heavily historical.
The main characters Skip (Lawrence) and Russell are well-rounded.Skip works daytime for Boeing and nights playing horn while Russell is filling in time after graduating from law school helping run his Aunt's troupe of Aqua Dears.Skip is openly gay whereas Russell is closeted and at the start of the book is determined to marry Susie.Then they meet........
The problems associated with being homosexual in the 50's are well-captured.The secrecy, the illegality, the "hidden" bars and clubs, the snatched moments of happiness, the pressure to marry and be "normal",the homophobia, the attitude of the police and society in general, are all touched on.
Russell has to overcome his own prejudices and decide if he is brave enough to follow his heart. Skip has to accept that happiness and commitment as a male couple can be achieved.They can only "play it by ear" in the manner musicians who do not have the full score laid out for them.
No hesitation in giving five* and recommending this as a good read. I look forward to a sequel.