Try Anything Twice Paperback – May 1, 2011

than my share of gay erotica in my time and Josh Jango's book rates highly. Hard to believe such a character as Ziggy could exist but as fantasy this is quite a compelling yarn and well worth the effort. Although 367 pages of mainly dialog between Josh and Ziggy and most of it about sex, it is never boring or repetitive. Don't know if the author, by giving his lead character his own first name, being a would-be writer and setting it in the 80's was writing a sort of auto-biography. If this is even partly true, half your luck author Josh! One little grumble: having worked in a hospital AIDS ward during this period of time, found it hard to believe a "straight" man like Ziggy could be so out there and enjoying every aspect of gay sex with his new "homo" buddy in the 80's but I don't think realism was the key to this saga. Just flick the pages and enjoy some rather interesting and unexpected twists in a sexual friendship. If only all gay men could experience such a fresh, invigorating man like Ziggy sometime in their lives; it would certainly make us all better lovers and better people! Read more

Some readers may have been fortunate to have seen the film TRICK. In it, our protagonist Gabriel was a young musical playwright. His life felt empty since he was lacking someone in his life he could call his own. One evening he went to a go-go bar and saw a male dancer who he wanted to get to know. As luck would have it, as he was going home on the subway that evening, the two met and the dancer Mark wanted to know if he could go to Gabriel's apartment to have some fun. Unfortunately, both spent the entire evening searching for a place to get off, without success. But in the process, both got to know each other and in their journey to find a place to get off, their curiosity about each other turned into an intimate friendship. As Mark said to Gabriel at the end of the film, "We got the hard part over with." Try Anything Twice is a work of fiction that moves along the same line. Our protagonist Josh was somewhat desperate to find someone meaningful in his life. He did have a boyfriend but their relationship was badly strained because of verbal abuse. One evening he met another twenty year old named Ziggy who was very open minded. Soon, Ziggy invited Josh to his apartment in St. Louis and asked him to stay as long as he wanted. Josh promised to search diligently for a job so he could contribute to the rent. As the story unfolded, the reader saw that Ziggy was an answer to Josh's prayers. Ziggy was not the slightest bit shy. They shared the same bed in the cramped quarters of his apartment at Ziggy's insistence. Ziggy slept without any clothes on. Also, when he needed to take a squirt, Ziggy would leave the bathroom door opened. Finally, after showering, he would prance around the apartment in the buff to dry off completely before getting dressed. In addition to helping Josh find a job quicker, Ziggy arranged to have a phone installed, at his own expense. He even allowed Josh the free use of the apartment while he was away at work. As each day progressed, their respect and friendship towards each other deepened. As our story closed, the two made their way to Nashville so that Josh could retrieve his remaining possessions at his former boyfriend's house. After they secured his remaining belongings, they headed back to St. Louis to forge a new life together. One reviewer remarked that a person like Ziggy could not have existed in the '80's. I agree completely. Since this is a work of fiction and a fantasy, it never entered my mind until I read this person's review. But Ziggy did exist in this book and that's what mattered to me. Another reviewer said this book was a porn fantasy which had staged sex scenes focused around sex events. So, what could be wrong with that? The author remarked in one of his posts that his set pieces did not follow any formula that was common to other erotic novels. I think this describes this book perfectly. Try Anything Twice is not hard core gay erotica, where virtually every paragraph has one steamy sex scene, one right after another. In my personal opinion, Try Anything Twice is gay fiction or gay fantasy, if you like. There happens to be some gay erotic passages in the book, but it does not saturate the reader with erotica. It simply involves two young men who met and eventually love each other unconditionally. Anyone would be proud to have them as neighbors. I and many others are anxiously waiting for the sequel to this wonderful book.

Instead of titillating the reader with a bunch of sexual encounters between different men, Jango chose to make his book almost exclusively about one relationship. The choice pays off. Josh and Ziggy are likeable and their sex scenes damn hot. They are like kids who run off into the woods to discover something new. These guys explore different ways to experience sexual pleasure, and they do it with a refreshing innocence that is very erotic.Some may think the book doesn't have enough conflict. I enjoyed the lack of fabricated misunderstandings between Josh and Ziggy. Besides, conflict is not this writer's objective. What conflict there is comes from outside the relationship and is not all that well developed.The book does spend a lot of time challenging the label "straight." Readers may find themselves repeatedly questioning exactly what label to pin on Ziggy, and I've participated in more than one debate on the subject. Perhaps he's best described as beyond gay, straight or even bi. He's past labels. Ziggy is open, free, sexy and honorable. And memorable. You won't forget him.

Excellent Book! Rating this book anything else but five stars makes me wonder what book the other reviewers were reading, because I found this book refreshing, the characters well fleshed out (both literally and literarily), and perfectly paced.Ziggy is really the man we all want to meet and fall in love with….(at least I do, in at least one of my several fantasies!). He is kind, generous, thoughtful, and fully aware of who he is. I have read a zillion M/M books, but found this one different in respect to the characters interaction. The author has a real knack for description and it gives the reader a nice visual experience. I thought the eroticism (read: HOT SEX!) throughout the book was awesome. (In the voice of Oliver: “ Please, sir, may I have some more?! “) Most authors of gay novels seem to think the readers want all the same words to describe m/m sex…..which can get super redundant….Josh Jango writes out of this rut, by going much further in describing the actual emotion before, during and after each encounter that J and Z explore, and this is a breath of fresh air! Overall, this is an excellent read, full of hope, good nature, and true friendship. It's written with an overall philosophy that most people need to educate themselves on while exploring new relationships and/or could even use in ones they may currently be in. Respect and honesty being the key to all.Great author…can’t wait for more! ;)

From the moment that Josh and Ziggy meet the reader becomes a third, invisible person in the story. These two young guys bring so much to each other, emotionally and sexually. 'Try Anything Twice' would be a great read for any 16+ in that it is a portrayal of a loving, caring friendship which grows into a deeper relationship. Many young gay guys might also benefit from the lucid descriptions of lovemaking set in the context of the mutual respect and concern that Josh and Ziggy have for each other. Definitely not the stereotypical 'coming out' novel - so much more - a delightful read.

Josh (gay) meets Ziggy (straight-ish) on the rebound and they move in together. Quite a lot of gay novels where the characters have a lot of explicit sex pall after a bit. This one doesn't. It is partly that the explicit bits are very well done [note to gay men: don't read this book in a public place unless you don't mind your enthusiasm showing] and partly because the two heroes are sweet, charming and irresistible and the sexual relationship between them is an integral part of a journey of mutual and self-discovery. I loved it.

Try Anything Twice: This novel was boring with far too much sex. The story line was not believable, I do not know any gay men that would want to have sex with a woman,that's why they are gay .The book was more expensive then a lot of other kindel books. I would not recommend.

It's easy to find pretty good stories in the m/m genre but it's not nearly so easy to find excellent ones. 'Try Anything Twice' is excellent. Josh and Ziggy are delightful characters, the kind that get under your skin and make you keep reading to see what happens next. They're the kind of guys you'd like to have met when you were young and you can't help wanting to read more. It's one of those books that really needs a sequel, not because it's incomplete but because the characters are just so likeable that we don't want the story to end.Josh is the gay guy. He's been in an emotionally abusive relationship in Memphis but he's been slow to realize this. And then, on a weekend trip to St. Louis with their friends, Josh's partner ends the relationship and leaves Josh behind. But Josh has met Ziggy at a club and when he goes back he reconnects and that's the beginning of a remarkable relationship.Ziggy isn't gay but he's also not exactly straight. In fact, it's pretty hard to categorize just what he is except that he's a guy wise beyond his years, a guy who turns out to be just what Josh needs as a roommate. First Josh agrees to stay for only a week after which he'll decide whether this is going to be permanent or not. But long before the week is up it's clear that he and Ziggy just simply click. He's the older brother Josh needs to help him get his head on straight and he's also the object of Josh's erotic fantasies. Ziggy has had an amazing past and he's able to give Josh the kind of support that Josh needs to build his self esteem.The relationship that is described largely in dialogue between the two characters plays out in a little more than a week. It's quite a feat of good writing to put this much dialogue into a novel and still maintain the reader's interest and this author succeeds amazingly well. It's all so natural and such an easy progression that one looks forward to the next day's instalment in the knowledge that the young men are moving further ahead toward an inevitable good conclusion.Since they're just guys living together, and sleeping in the same small bed together, it's only natural that they see each other in the nude and it's also pretty well a foregone conclusion that they'll see each other aroused. From that point on there's an amazing development of sexual tension between the two, a tension that manifests itself in some of the most erotic and arousing sexual encounters I've ever read. No, the book isn't all about sex but it sure has lots of it and it's hot, hot, hot.I loved the characters, loved the story, loved the setting, and loved the book. There, that's about as good as it gets. I hope that author Josh Jango continues the story of Josh and Ziggy, two fascinating men who deserve at least another couple of novels devoted to their lives. Until then, this is an easy 5 star novel.

This book is so good, i can't put it down :)