Husband Material

Luc O'Donnell and Oliver Blackwood are a couple now. They began by faking a relationship, and the fake turned real. The two are happy and committed, and the hard question is no longer how to fall in love but how to stay there.

Then wedding season arrives. Friends and family start getting married one after another, often with lavish, nerve-wracking ceremonies. Luc, caught in the middle of all that tulle and toasting, starts to wonder whether forever really needs a formal dress code.

This is a contemporary romantic comedy about a gay couple, and it is the sequel to Boyfriend Material. It picks up with characters the earlier book introduced. It skips the courtship and looks at what follows: the missteps, the growing pains, and the slow work of building a shared life. Everyone else seems to hold firm opinions about how that life should look.

Expect a British comic voice with plenty of sharp humour, and a good deal of emotional honesty under the jokes. The tone is funny and chaotic on the surface, with tender and sometimes frightening moments about identity and commitment underneath.