Boystown, Season Five

Previously in Boystown ... Jacqueline is about to give birth to her child prematurely - will it survive?  Logan has made the decision to take his own life - will he survive?  One young man falls over the balcony to crash to the cement below - will he survive? Two other young men are hit by a speeding car - will either survive?  And meanwhile, a group of unsuspecting members of the Mancini and Ciancio families are flying to California for the wedding of Gino and Justin, when the plane crashes - who will survive?

It's easy to see why anyone would rush to read Season Five of Boystown to find out how all of these cliffhangers are resolved!  Author Jake Biondi maintains his television-style storytelling, with each chapter an "episode," and the drama that builds and builds with each episode is beyond anything Dynasty, Dallas, Falcon Crest, or any other nighttime soap could ever hope to compare!  The feud between the Mancini and Ciancio families continues to escalate and become more and more deadly as more and more secrets about both families are revealed.  And the drama extends well beyond the two families, as their friends get caught up with adultery, blackmail, and murder like there's no tomorrow.  Of course, based on those cliffhangers, for some of these characters, there is no tomorrow...

Biondi opens this season immediately following the events of season four.  (NOTE - going forward, there are spoilers, so if you don't want to know what happens, then I suggest going to read season five first, then come back for this review!)  Adam looks down at Dustin, who has just fallen down from the balcony above and lies silent on the concrete, blood forming around his body.  Cole looks down from above, shocked at what he sees!  Later, they arrive at the hospital, only to discover Jesse there - instead of going to California for the wedding, he got off the plane and rushed to Logan's house, only to discover that he overdosed in an attempt to kill himself.  Both Dustin and Logan are now fighting for their lives - but they aren't the only ones!  Jensen is being prepped for surgery after having been hit by the speeding car, and Keith is unable to reach Emmett by phone to let him know.  Hugo is looking for Rachel, but she is with Ben, who is satisfied with the bomb he placed aboard the plane heading for California - unfortunately for him, he's nothing more than a loose end for Rachel, and we know how she handles loose ends...

And yes, the plane crashes with all on board - and sadly, not everyone makes it out.  What was intended to be a wedding and joyous occasion turns into a solemn funeral for loved ones taken way too soon.  Gino and Justin postpone their wedding, and unexpectedly, Gino's aunt, Camille, arrives at the Ciancio mansion, looking to stake her claim.  But, as with any good soap, she has much more devious plans in store and she is hiding a secret that will affect everyone in both families!

While some mysteries are resolved (such as who shot Derek and who is the father of Joyelle's baby), other mysteries begin to surface - such as what are the Mancinis hiding in the winery that they don't want anyone to discover?  What doe that key unlock that Gino now holds half of and Camille is desperate to find?  Who is stalking Cole and to what lengths will he go to make Cole his forever?  Who killed Ben and who will take the fall for it?  Biondi has a way of quickly drawing you into the storylines and actually caring about (and hating!) some of the characters - and like any well-written soap, each episode moves the stories at a good pace, introduces new stories, mysteries, and characters, while solving other mysteries, concluding other stories, and eliminating other characters (because you don't want the "show" to be bogged down with so many characters that you can't keep track!).

The sex scenes remain prevalent throughout this book, as with prior books, but it is interesting that Biondi inserts (no pun intended!) considerably more straight couple sexual situations than he does gay in this book.  Rachel is by far making her rounds with all of the straight men in Boystown, and she is a conniving, scheming, lying, backstabbing, murderous villain that you can't help but love.  And with the introduction of Camille, Rachel may have finally met her match!  With of these two villainous vixens will come out on top?

Once again, Biondi leaves readers with more than one cliffhanger:  gunshots with two bodies falling overboard from Gino's yacht; Cole is kidnapped and held captive by his stalker; Derek arrives at his honeymoon suite, expecting to see Cole, but finding someone else instead; someone takes Joyelle's baby, leaving Joyelle on the hospital floor, not moving; Hugo finds Jensen with a bloody knife, holding a lifeless body in his lap; David and Adam get ready to make use of the suite intended for Derek and Cole, only to have the room explode; Michael is poisoned and falls to the ground; and someone thought dead prepares to make his return to Chicago to wreak havoc on both the Mancini and Ciancio families!

If that's not enough to bring you back for season six, I don't know what is!

RATING:  9 cop cards with graffiti slurs out of 10 for the sizzling, sexy, scheming, scintillating, steamy, sensational soap story that is Boystown!