My first book choice in 2024 was taken following an entirely practical approach: the first part of the Brynmor University trilogy by Dominic Gaida had been waiting and smiling at me from my shelf for several weeks and I always postponed it. Until I read that part 2 will come out in February 2024 and so I decided to give it a read to see if it would be worth to wait for the second part – or to even pre-order it.
Spoiler: For me personally, it is.
Brynmor University is the debut of the German author Dominik Gaida. He’s an own-voice-author with the aim of making the LGBTIQA+ community more visible in literature. Guy, you got me. I like that approach, we still need more of that (and I can’t stop pointing out how happy I am that when I decided to stop reading fanfiction and deleted my AO3 account, bookstores stepped in and suddenly, after so many years of craving, provided me with queer romance literature that is just as cosy as all the hetero romances. I am literally the type of person who will pick up a book, read the blurb and say „I’d buy this if it was gay.“)
Anyway – while I thought the cover looked amazing (I love the colour scheme) I was also hesitant because of exactly that. Most books that look like that are hot romance books, which is not exactly my preferred type of book. So when I read the blurb and noticed that this time it was gay, I was all in and bought it, not knowing what to expect exactly.
I personally enjoyed this book massively and I finished it really quickly. It was one of those books where I had to force myself to be responsible and put it aside to get enough sleep for work next day. That not only speaks for the story, it also speaks for Gaida’s style, which was really nice to read.
The story
The first Brynmor University book deals with the story of Samuel, a young German who is about to pick up his studies at Brynmor University, an old uni at the coast of Cornwall. His aim is not even graduating. His drive to study there is that he wants to find out what happened to his brother, who is in a vegetative state after having an accident about ten months before – at Brynmor University. Samuel feels deeply connected to his brother, who was so supportive of him when he came out, and since the police could never find out what had happened, Samuel is planning to look for the truth on his own.
In Brynmor, he meets Connor, a sports student who strikes Samuel from the very start. And although Samuel didn’t plan to fall in love, it happens. Unfortunately the past is in their way.
(And of course, there’s an old student fraternity involved in the whole story. Yay. Flashback to Starlight In Our Dreams by Andreas Dutter. What’s with those old universities in the British Isles and their creepy, cringy fraternities?)
Each part of the Brynmor University series has a trope assigned, which is reflected in the subtitles of the novels (in this case it’s „Geheimnisse“ – secrets). In the back of the book there’s also a „preview“ on the other two books where you can find the tropes for each book. As I said, the first book’s trope is secrets (or rather dark secrets) and one should keep that in mind while reading. Due to its topic – Samuel trying to find out more about his brother’s accident – the book might come across as some kind of mystery / crime book, but that’s definitely not the centre of the story and Dominik Gaida is not trying too hard to hide the actual solution from the reader. Basically it’s almost clear from the very first pages what has happened and the reader will find out more details very quickly. There are a few occasions where you might be led on the wrong path, but it doesn’t feel like it’s meant to be a crime fiction where you’re supposed to be surprised by the final outcome.
The focus here is on Samuel’s and Connor’s relationship and how it develops given the fact that both are hiding something from each other. Some more or less grave secrets. While the reader basically knows what has happened, they get to observe how it affects the feelings and relationship of the two protagonists. If you’re looking for a mysterious secret, this book might not be your cup of tea. If you want to see if they can make it against all odds, you might enjoy it.
Speaking of the characters, I really liked Samuel and Connor as protagonists. Guys acting cute and dumb because they’re crushing hard on each other? Yes, please gimme that. Concerning the side characters, I also liked Youma and Lake. I kinda doubted the necessity of Luisa, who didn’t add much to the story, and I felt a strong dislike against Riley and Elliot, who, in a way, were a bit too stereotypical for me. At this point I have to come back to Andreas Dutter’s Starlight in our Dreams because the role of Riley in Brynmor University reminded me a lot of Scarlet in Starlight in our Dreams. Not because I’d think that’s related in any way, but rather because both fulfil a certain stereotype as being members of a Fraternity who are entirely sceptical towards the protagonist of each story. Concerning Elliot, it’s kinda entertaining to call him a stereotype because as a teacher, I have a few students that are very similar to him đ So in the end, this type of person exists. But … come on, Elliot is just an ass.
Anyway, I had a great time while reading this book and I felt well entertained. This was the type of book I’m looking for when I need some rather light, entertaining queer romance. I love that. It completely satisfies my need for escapism when the world is shitty and I need some rainbow-coloured glitter in my life. Watching Samuel and Connor slowly fall in love, struggle with their feelings and their secrets, almost failing … Yup, that’s my sort of emotional roller coaster ride. That’s the kind of romance fiction that I want. And the amount of spice was bearable for someone like me, who prefers their cosy romance mostly unspicy (or accepts spice that adds something to the story).
Returning to the tropes, part 2 is advertised with Forbidden Love and part 3 as Rivals to lovers. As someone who’s favourite all-time trope used to be Enemies to lovers I can’t wait for part 3, but I’ve also read the blurb of part 2 and WELL, it escalated quickly. So I guess I’m gonna pre-order part 2, which will be released a day before the third part of the Rosenholm trilogy, and then I can discuss with myself which of those books I’ll read first because I’m more than excited for both.