The Backlot Gay Book Forum discussion

Bring Me Edelweiss (Five points 2)
By Kyle Baxter
Published by the author, 2020
Four stars

“But I thought French was the language of love.” She raised a sharp finger. ”Only to the French.”

This is silly. But not too silly. Silly enough. Sort of a gay “Princess Diaries,” but with shooting and explosions. Oh, and handsome men. It was just what this holiday season called for, and Kyle Baxter’s two main characters—Freddie d’Pierrepont and Joel McIntyre—are easy to love.

Europe seems to be full of absurd little countries that appear when we need a convenient prince to toss into a rom-com salad. Major props to Baxter for creating complications that offer up enough pathos to make you cry, as well as humor to cause plenty of chuckles in the course of the reading. I confess that I’ve never seen two such well-muscled butch men giggle so much. Some might find that unbelievable, but it pushes the right buttons in me.

This is a solid, enjoyable, heart-warming romance with attractive and likeable heroes and no real bad guys. These "Five Points" books are not truly a series, because they're very loosely connected. But they share a spirit that makes them appealing.