Solomon

By Jayce Ellis

The road to romance and love isn’t always easy. If the couple is two brothas who grew up in a homophobic church, it’s rough. And if one of them is the pastor’s son, well…

For Pride Month, it is my pleasure to bring to you a second-chance romance novel from Jayce Ellis’ High Rise series, Solomon.

At the ages of 17 and 16 respectively, preacher’s kid Solomon Mitchell and his boyfriend Isaac Daniels made the decision to escape the toxic environment of their church by running away from Atlanta. Unfortunately, their plans go awry—Solomon gets away, but Isaac is detained by their parents. Our villain in this story, Rev. David Mitchell, is determined to keep them apart, so with Isaac’s father, they concoct a story that Solomon is dead.

Fast forward 20 years. Isaac is now the youth pastor at his church, being groomed to succeed Rev. Mitchell as pastor when he retires, and under his thumb. On a trip to DC where he is seeking information from different churches on how to grow their congregation, he receives the shock of his life when he sees Solomon again, helping as a volunteer youth choir director for Pastor Campbell’s inclusive, welcoming church.

During the past 20 years, Solomon has been paid by his father to stay away from Atlanta and Isaac, being deemed a “bad influence.” Though he has been offered a solid job at the LGBTQ youth center and a position with Pastor Campbell, he’s been resistant to taking the positions and accepting help, limiting himself to a small circle of friends. Seeing Isaac again sends him into an emotional tailspin and the questions of why Isaac never came for him.

When Isaac decides to stay in D.C. despite the increasing pressure from Rev. Mitchell to return to Atlanta, he and Solomon address the choke hold Rev. Mitchell and his church have had on their lives, even now as brothas in their mid-30s. In this process, they also realize their love for each other never died.

What will it take for Solomon and Isaac to cut the strings of puppetmaster Rev. Mitchell, and have that second chance for a happily-ever-after?

Ellis takes on the issues of churches and their LGBTQ members with integrity and strength, showing a church that loves, heals, and values their members vs. a church that hurts and controls them. Though it takes time to undo the damage, Isaac and Solomon, and their loving community in D.C., show it can be done. In continuity, Ellis also includes characters from the previous novels in her series, which is a plus.

Solomon is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Two Turtles Press. Thank you, Jayce, for reminding us that those who are both Black and LGBTQ can and are serving God in authenticity, and at the end of the day, love wins. I look forward to the next installment of the High Rise series!