Kindle Price: $0.99

Save $5.96 (86%)

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Follow the author

Laurie Boris
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Picture of Cool (Trager Family Secrets Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Laurie Boris (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 90 ratings
See all formats and editions
Television producer Charlie Trager spends his days working with beautiful women on a daytime talk show. But underneath his cool façade, there’s a hollow spot in his heart, waiting for the right man to ease his loneliness. Then he meets the show’s next guest, a handsome young politician with a bad case of nerves—and a secret that could turn both their lives upside down. (Short novella: 14,000 words)
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 3
    Trager Family Secrets
  2. Print length
    67 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    April 4, 2014
  6. File size
    3591 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
Next page
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card
All 3 for you in this series See full series
See included books
Total Price: $9.97
By clicking on above button, you agree to the Kindle Store Terms of Use

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The character development in this novella is absurdly good. Charlie, especially, is a character that you just have to fall in love with.... It's a story about life, love, and two people who try to navigate a very difficult situation.... Love is one of the hardest things to write, and Boris does it so well in this novella that there were times I was near tears, there were times I was laughing, and there were many times where I thought, "Man, Charlie is so thoughtful and deep and he drinks too much and he's such a good kisser ... he's JUST MY TYPE..." I have always been impressed when writers are able to make you go against your natural inclinations. Make me love the bad guy. Make me hope the underdog loses. Make me fall in love with a fictional homosexual man. THAT's writing talent. Anyone can preach to the choir. Boris refuses to do it, and that is what makes thisbook so phenomenal. It's a well written book. Decidedly so. It's also a verycomplex book about complex issues." - JD Mader

From the Author

Questions about the series order? This might help. The three stories that make up the Trager Family Secrets series happen in chronological order.
 
However, I wrote Don't Tell Anyone first, in the women's fiction/lit fiction category. Then readers contacted me wanting to know more about Charlie and his mysterious congressman (I was curious as well), so I wrote The Picture of Cool to tell the story of how they met. But Charlie still had more to tell me, so I wrote Playing Charlie Cool. This novel starts chronologically after Don't Tell Anyone ends, but it picks up the thread of Charlie's romance with his Mr. Right-Maybe.
 
The books don't need to be read in order, although some readers like to do that. Books Two and Three can be read as stand-alone stories. Some readers like to start with The Picture of Cool and continue the romance with Playing Charlie Cool. Your choice. I don't judge.
 
So...
 
Book 1: The Picture of Cool (a short prelude to events that happen in Book 3)
Book 2: Don't Tell Anyone (what happens to Charlie's family)
Book 3: Playing Charlie Cool (picks up Charlie's love story after the events of Book 2 have concluded)
 
Thank you, and I hope you enjoy the stories. However you choose to read them.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00JHO7VYI
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ (April 4, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 4, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3591 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 67 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 90 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Laurie Boris

Laurie Boris

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Laurie Boris has been writing fiction for thirty years and is the award-winning author of nine novels. When not playing with the universe of imaginary people in her head, she enjoys baseball, reading, and avoiding housework. She lives in New York's lovely Hudson Valley.

* Find Laurie on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/laurie.boris.author

* Keep up with Laurie's blog at http://laurieboris.com/blog/

* Follow Laurie on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/LaurieBoris

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
90 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Rich M.
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful story of life and love in the big city!
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2014
Verified Purchase
Laurie Boris really makes me depressed, y'know? She's just too good a writer. Makes the rest of us look like pikers, dagnabit.

I was lucky enough to be a beta reader for this story, and I have to say that it's hard not to like it. Laurie's characters are real. Her prose is vivid and enthralling. The last time I read one of her books, I hated the characters; I mean, I wanted them all to be run over by steamrollers. But I kept reading that book until the end, because the story just drew me in. That's the same thing with The Picture of Cool.

If you're reading this, please get off your high horses first before buying this book, as you are going to encounter a situation in it that some of you might find "offensive" or "evil" or some other moronic thing. Far too many idiots have that hang-up and if you do, this is NOT the book for you. Don't read it, don't leave a preemptive review, just go find a corner and live your sheltered life in deserved ignominy.

If you like a good story, a bit of romance, and realistic portrayals of human beings in love, then this is the book you SHOULD be reading.
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Sooz
4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful short story
Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2014
Verified Purchase
When reading a book about people and seminal moments, the characters have to be believable. They need to feel real and not as though they are forced into a moment for the sake of a story.

Boris did everything right in The Picture of Cool.

The characters are real and in situations easily imagined. The pain Charlie feels as he pines for Adam is something that any person can relate to. Their relationship is gradual and sweet.

It doesn’t matter that the main characters are gay, anyone should be able to enjoy this book.

Boris leaves a note at the end stating she intends to make these characters part of a longer book, and one I fully intend to read. I actually wanted to learn more about the characters, including some of the supporting cast. The Picture of Cool is an easy, smooth read where the reader is pulled into the lovely story.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Furio
3.0 out of 5 stars on the soap side
Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2015
Verified Purchase
I am not sure about this short story, the first instalment in a as yet to be defined series:
on the one hand the author can write and her style is simple, smooth and pleasant; on the other hand, the plot has more than a touch of soap-opera and a thick basis of sentimental TV drama, with lovers who face difficulties simply because they hesitate to make choices they know they need to make.
This is a genre that frankly irritates me and I know I will drop the series.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
S.A. Molteni
5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant and Compassionate
Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2014
Verified Purchase
The Picture of Cool (Trager Family Secrets Book 1) by Laurie Boris is a wonderfully written and a quick, easy read. This is the second book I have read by Ms. Boris (the first being Sliding Past Vertical - which was also excellent).

The story centers around Charlie, who works as a producer at a television studio and falls in love with Adam. But, Adam has a complicated life, not to mention a wife and kids. But, through the pages of this short story, the couple tries to work out a way to be together. This is not just any love story, but a poignant and compassionate one.

For such a short piece, the author created a full story and well-developed characters. I totally adored Charlie and hoped that there would be a happy ending. Now, I must go read "Don't Tell Anyone" to find out about the rest of Charlie's family.

If you are open-minded and love a good love story, I highly recommend this short read.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
The Bionic Stan
2.0 out of 5 stars I feel cheated!
Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2014
Verified Purchase
The story was engaging, and the two main characters were appealing. They seemed to be taking an unreasonably long time to get together, but OK, I was willing to go along with that, as they had one not-really-a-date after another. But then the story just ends, with nothing resolved -- no cliffhanger either. It just stops, with a dull thud.

A short story I could accept, or a novella; my issue isn't with the length as such. But a story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. This one is missing the final one third.

On top of that, outside of the two main characters, the others seemed shadowy and insubstantial. Between reading the first half during one morning's commute and reading the second half that evening, I forgot everything about them: that's how un-memorable they were.

I don't recommend this to anyone unless you enjoy bookus interruptus.
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Melissa Bowersock, author of the Lacey Fitzpatrick and Sam Firecloud Mystery Series
5.0 out of 5 stars Humanity at its best
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2014
Verified Purchase
I don't read a lot of short stories; I much prefer full books where I can really get into characters, their motivations, their relationships. This story, however, delivers all the punch of a full-sized novel in a very compact yet complete story. The characters of Charlie and Adam come to life immediately, not through description but through their actions, their thoughts, their hopes and fears. If there was ever a primer on "show, don't tell," this is it. Laurie Boris nails that. I love the fact that this story unfolds gently, tenuously, tenderly as two men cautiously explore their attraction to each other, keeping in mind all the time that a relationship could have consequences for more than just themselves. This is just such a thoughtful, respectful treatment of a much-maligned subject. Yes, the characters are gay. Don't like it? Don't read it. But you'll miss out on a lovely affirming story.
6 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Lynxie
4.0 out of 5 stars a glorious, sweet and sexy m/m romance
Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2016
Verified Purchase
The rather quick introduction to Charlie and Adam (Joshua), otherwise known as the Trager Family Secrets Series. Laurie makes the budding romance between the two men both delicious and sweet, and sexy as hell.

Absolutely nothing explicit or in-your-face in terms of sex, this is a very soft opening to the romance, which will build into an amazing series.

I read book 3 first, so the events in this part are not new, but I got more information about the supporting characters, particularly Xander and Freddie. Both of which I adored already from their parts in book 3, and it helped to see them in this opening short story. It made the whole thing more realistic.

ETA: This book has a few themes that might bother some readers: cheating and children are part of the existing family.

If you want to try a glorious, sweet and sexy m/m romance try Laurie's Trager Family Secrets series, you won't be disappointed.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Elena A Gestoso
5.0 out of 5 stars I love it!!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 9, 2014
Verified Purchase
I really liked this book and the two main characters. From page one it grabbed my attention. I didn't want the book to end. Well done to the author.
Report
Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars humorous, engaging but delicate magic touch
Reviewed in Australia on September 16, 2014
Verified Purchase
I like where Laurie Boris is going with the character of Charlie, and the story. It's a contemporary theme that could do with some airing, and Laurie as usual treats sensitive scenarios and issues with a humorous, engaging but delicate magic touch.
Report
J.R. Barker
4.0 out of 5 stars The first author to make me enjoy a romance story.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 24, 2014
Verified Purchase
This was a short and sweet read about two fellas in love.
It’s a very gentle romance booklet and, though I don’t normally read Romance, I really liked it.
It was written very well and was a relaxing read for the evening.

I can’t really say much more without giving away the story, but I would have liked to have seen the POV of Joshua. It was his family that was falling apart; Charlie was the guy on the waiting end.

Actually, I needed there to be more story, I wasn't ready for it to end.
My reading itch was only half scratched.

What I can say is that Laurie has a new fan. If she can get me, an avid non-romance reader, to enjoy romance I think I've found an author that's worth reading more of.
One person found this helpful
 Report
Ms. Mary Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 4, 2014
Verified Purchase
Thoroughly enjoyed this first book in the Trager Family Secrets series.
One person found this helpful
 Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report