Randy, the acolyte, is bright, earnest, honest, talented, and very naive. With a deep sense of vocation to the priesthood, he learns that being gay is just one of many challenges to be met. Bullies, teen suicide, betrayal, family dysfunction, and having to fend for himself bring out his sterling qualities and his shadows as well. But nothing tests him quite so sharply as learning the truth about Michael, his first deep love. This coming-of-age story is Brown at his finest.
That line in your blurb about Bishop Sean Foley facing an accuser who was “judge, jury, and executioner” made me stop mid-scroll like, “Alright, who brought courtroom thunder into the Vatican?” The tension between Foley and Cardinal Nwadike reads like someone took faith, politics, secrets, and emotional landmines, mixed them together, and said, “Good luck, reader.” I could practically hear the walls of Rome whispering.
Intriguing PageTurner—Absolutely brilliant. Les Brown tells a story that is complex, multi-layered, full of strange landscapes as divergent as organized crime and monastic life, yet one so well crafted that the reader becomes engrossed in it, unable to put it down. Intriguing PageTurner—Absolutely brilliant. Les Brown tells a story that is complex, multi-layered, full of strange landscapes as divergent as organized crime and monastic life, yet one so well crafted that the reader becomes engrossed in it, unable to put it down.
Sycamore Boy is such an emotional, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful coming-of-age story. H. Les Brown takes Tony through first love, devastating loss, survival, chosen family, and the complicated process of figuring out who you are when the life you knew is ripped away from you. I really connected with the queer coming-of-age aspect of this story. Tony’s relationship with Jake felt tender and electric, but the danger surrounding them made their love even more heartbreaking. I also appreciated how the story expands beyond that first love and becomes something much bigger—a story about survival, identity, trauma, resilience, and finding your…
The story of Tony Keating (Kit Foxx) is heartbreaking at times and uplifting at other times, but always gripping — a story that, once you get started, you struggle to put down. Each chapter builds on the last, and yes, you want to read it all, but at the same time you don’t want it to finish. Maybe it hasn’t yet — there is surely a sequel in the pipeline. If not, there should be. Enjoyed every minute, and highly recommend. Reviewed on NetGalley, September 24, 2026.
This is a must to read. I have read it many times and bought it to share with others. Having not been raised Catholic but had friends who did I was always curious and felt that Priests were put on a pedestal but in time learned they are human. This would be a great movie.
Wow! So much more than I expected from book 3. I had a hard time putting this one down. This story has everything, and it’s about a monk! Entertaining, suspenseful, heartfelt, and intelligent including a difficult and disturbing subject matter. Well done. I again look forward to the next book in this series!