A Death in the Parish by Richard Coles

 

#2 Canon Clement Mystery

432 pages

Publisher: W & N

Publishing date: June 8^th, 2023

 

Blurb

It's been a few months since murder tore apart the community of Champton apart.

As Canon Daniel Clement tries to steady his flock, the parish is joined with Upper and Lower Badsaddle, bringing a new tide of unwanted change.

But church politics soon become the least of Daniel's problems. His mother - headstrong, fearless Audrey - is obviously up to something, something she is determined to keep from him. and she is not the only one.

And then all hell breaks loose when murder returns to Champton in the form of a shocking ritualistic killing...

 

Review

It wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume that a story written by a Reverent and featuring a Canon as the main character might be a cozy mystery. Which just goes to show how dangerous it is to assume anything.

Not to be too mysterious about it, the murder victim in this book is a teenage boy, killed on an altar in what appears to be a ritualistic manner. He is the son of Richard’s new colleague after the parish boundaries have been altered. From the moment they first meet it is clear that Daniel, our Canon, and Chris, the new arrival don’t see eye to eye when it comes to theological matters. Why anybody would want to kill his teenage son though, is a complete mystery.

And then, the mystery appears to take a backseat as the story focuses on other, apparently unrelated (both to the murder and to each other) matters. There’s the (not-suspicious) death of an elderly lady and the question why so many seem to have an interest in her cameo brooch. There’s Daniel’s mother Audrey, and her sudden penchant for secrecy. And of course, there is the usual interaction with the local aristocrats, the de Floures.

There are quite a few moments to make you smile too. Daniel attending a football match with Neil Vanloo, the local detective sergeant, and the uproar Daniel causes. There's an unexpected pregnancy, Or Daniel’s visit to a record store. On the heavier side, the book is also rather heavy on religious thought, theory, and philosophy. Maybe that’s just what a reader should expect from a book written by and featuring a priest. And I have to admit that at least some of it was very relevant to the mystery. But I can’t deny that on one or two occasions my eyes glazed over and my mind wandered.

I was about two-thirds through the book when I figured out both the murder and the motive, well ahead of the conclusion being reached on the page, for a change. That’s not a complaint, though. If nothing else, it means that the murder ‘made sense’ and the author played fair with the reader.

There is quite a bit of action and drama before Daniel sees the light and explains everything in a drawing room scene reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s Poirot. (Also, not a complaint.) Since the village setting and interactions have Miss Marple vibes, the whole set-up feels a little like a homage to the Queen of Crime.

And then it ends on a surprising and possibly a little disappointing (at least for me, and I assume the character involved) note. I wouldn’t call it a cliff-hanger by any stretch of the imagination, but it does make me curious about book 3.

Long story short: Like Murder before Evensong (Canon Clement #1), A Death in the Parish is a solid mystery featuring a fascinating cast of characters and a satisfying conclusion.

Truth & Betrayal by K.C. Wells - Release Day Review

403 Kindle Pages

Buy links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Available in KU

Blurb

All the light went out of Jake’s life when his older brother Caleb died in a traffic accident. Getting through the aftermath was always going to be the hardest thing he’d ever done, but finding out that the tall stranger at the graveside was the one driving the car? At least Jake now has a target for all the rage inside him. Because the man responsible for stealing Caleb’s light from the world has no right to intrude on their grief. 

Liam had known deep down that it was a mistake to go to Tennessee, but he’d hoped saying goodbye to Caleb would ease the pain inside him. The hostile reception from Caleb’s family and friends comes as no surprise, and Liam flees before things get ugly. They obviously know nothing of Caleb’s life in Atlanta, and maybe it’s better that way. Caleb’s secrets can die with him. 

When Jake turns up at Caleb’s apartment to collect his brother’s possessions, what he discovers is the first shock in what is to be a series of revelations, turning Jake’s world upside down. New knowledge brings fresh pain and anguish. 

Jake isn’t the only one who’s hurting… 

Review

I have a problem. As some of you may have noticed, I’m a huge fan of K.C. Wells’ stories. All of them. Be they self-published, co-written, or under a different pseudonym, I’ve so far loved every single word from her. So what does a reviewer do when an author who almost invariably ends up with a five star rating, writes a book that surpasses everything she’s produced in the past? I can’t speak for anybody else but in my case it will probably lead to a lot of fan-girling, the over-use of superlatives, and plenty of nonsensical gushing. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Whereas most romances start of light and easy, giving the reader a (more often than not) false sense of security, only to bring them to tears and heartache sometime after the midway point, Truth & Betrayal threw me straight into the deep end where I feared I might drown in the tears caused by Jake’s pain.

Losing his Caleb, his only brother was bad enough. The fact that he never got to share a closely held secret with the older brother he adored, makes Jake’s grief even more heart-wrenching. Coming face to face with the man who drove the car in which Caleb died during his brother’s funeral, is more than Jake can take and he lashes out.

When Jake meets Liam again he soon discovers that he was an important part of Caleb’s life. It turns out that Jake wasn’t the only one with a secret he kept close to his chest. If Jake wants to learn more about his brother and the secret life he led, he’ll have to talk to Liam. Fortunately, Liam turns out to be a nice person who doesn’t hold Jake’s outburst against him and is happy to share information with Luke.

What starts as a quest for information soon turns into a developing friendship between Liam and Jake; a friendship that awakens unexpected feelings in both of them.

And so we venture into a developing romance without easy answers. Both men have to come to terms with the loss they suffered and the guilt falling for each other engenders. Jake has to face issues associated with being gay in a community where most would condemn him for his feelings and even his own family might abandon him. And then there’s the fact that Liam is black and Jake lives in a town were race relations are strained, at best. K.C. Wells deals with all of these in an honest yet sensitive manner. She doesn’t gloss over the problems they face but neither does she overstate them. I’m in awe of the way she managed to insert sometimes brutal realism into her story without ever making it harsher to prove a point. Here is a writer who knows there is no need to exaggerate because the plain truth is more than bleak enough.

And while I’m on the subject of realism; it doesn’t end with the issues Liam and Jake have to overcome to reach their happy ending. While an ordinary writer might have thought dealing with the gay and the race ‘issues’ was enough controversy for one story, this author goes a few steps further and also deals with open relationships, PrEP, and bare-back sex. And yet, the story never felt hurried, purposely controversial, or over the top.

Truth & Betrayal is a slow-burn love story, but it is so much more. It’s a coming of age story too. It’s a book about love; for families, for friends, and for that special person who completes your life. It’s a tale that will break your heart before putting it back together. The book will make you think, ask yourself questions, and make you feel every single emotion you can think of at least once. As per usual with K.C. Wells, the cast of secondary characters is fabulous and I have to say I’m delighted that one of them will be getting a story of his own in the not too distant future.

Long (and not altogether coherent) story short. Truth and Betrayal is the book to read if you want to completely lose yourself in a world filled with emotions. If you like stories and characters that will stay with you for a long time after you’ve closed your reader/paperback, you need to pick this one up. Be prepared to start with tears. It’s not impossible you’ll end with tears too, but those will be of a completely different nature.

As for the question as to what a reviewer does when a favourite author surpasses herself, the answer is simple. You add the title to your list of extra-special books and rate the book six stars, even if you won’t be able to actually award as many on Goodreads or Amazon. Because yes, Truth & Betrayal is that good.

The Wonder by Emma Donoghue

291 Pages

Publisher: Picador

Book Club Read

Blurb

Lib Wright, a young English nurse, arrives in an impoverished Irish village on a strange mission. Eleven-year-old Anna O'Donnell is said to have eaten nothing for months but appears to be thriving miraculously. With tourists thronging to see the child, and the press sowing doubt, the baffled community looks to an outsider to bring the facts to lights. Lib's job is simple: to watch the girl and uncover the truth.

An educated sceptic, trained by the legendary Florence Nightingale and repelled by what she sees as ignorance and superstition, Lib expects to expose the fast as a hoax right away. But as she gets to know the girl, over the long days they spend together, Lib becomes more and more unsure. Is Anna a fraud, or a 'living wonder'? Or is something more sinister unfolding right before Lib's eyes, a tragedy in which she herself is playing a part?

Written with all the propulsive tension that transported readers of Room, The Wonder is a haunting psychological thriller about the lengths we go to for the love of a child.

Review

Ugh. I don’t really want to write this review. Then again, for the longest time I didn’t really want to finish reading the book either. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I did make it to the end of the story, but since I spent most of my time while reading The Wonder, raging against both the characters and the story they were in, this was a case of better late than never as far as redeeming this book was concerned.

Set in the second half of the nineteenth century, this story deals with an eleven year old girl in rural Ireland who is supposed to have been fasting for four months without wasting away, never mind dying. Enter Lib Wright, an English nurse trained by Florence Nightingale, who is hired to watch the girl. Mind you, only to watch her without interfering.

And that’s where we encounter my first problem; I really didn’t like Lib and can’t say that improved a lot while reading the story. She came across as opinionated and rather full of herself. While I can’t deny that the attitudes she encountered in Ireland were infuriating at best, I couldn’t stand her air of superiority.

While the story is written as a thriller and what is really going on and why isn’t revealed until the end of the story, it didn’t really read like one. I got too caught up in the fact that this little innocent girl was being allowed to die while the grownups in her life not only stood idly by but also actively encouraged her for the most part, to be overly concerned with why it was happening.

Having said all of the above I have to admit that this was a very well written book. For me to get as upset with a story as I did while reading The Wonder, I have to be drawn into it, feel some sort of connection to the story and the characters. And that’s exactly what happened. While it is true that virtually every single character portrayed in this book got my blood boiling; that could only happen because they were described so clearly that I believed in them. As unimaginable as the events in this story were, the way they were described convinced me of their reality and fuelled my anger.

Without wanting to give anything away I will also admit that the way the story ended went some way towards redeeming it. Except that I wasn’t completely convinced by all of it. This story was too focussed on the fasting drama for the romance part of it to be believable. Lib and her man (and yes, I’m being purposely vague) just didn’t spent enough time together on these pages for me to believe they could have developed feelings for each other, never mind take the risks they did.

If this book achieved anything it was to once again remind me not only of the nonsensical nature of religion but also of all the dangers connected to blind faith. Part of me wants to say that the story is a reflection of the time it’s set in, that people were more innocent then, easier to persuade, more likely to believe without question. In fact, that’s what made it possible for me to keep on reading. I kept on reminding myself that I was reading a historical novel describing an age in which people just didn’t know everything we accept as common knowledge now. But unfortunately I know that’s not true. Religion is still the root of a lot of evil and superstition still seduces too many people to look for answers and solutions — miracles even — were non can be found — more often than not to their own detriment. Just as there will always be those who’ll take advantage of people’s desperation and willingness to believe.

Once again my book club read leaves me in a quandary when it comes to my rating. Because the writing was almost flawless and because the story certainly managed to raise emotions in me — even if those were predominately negative — I think I’ll settle for

By the Currawong’s Call by Welton B. Marsland

352 Pages

Publisher: Escape Publishing

Blurb

A small town, a new arrival, and a love that is as undeniable as it is unlawful...

Victoria, Australia, 1891

Anglican priest Matthew Ottenshaw receives his first posting in tiny Dinbratten, two days’ ride from his Melbourne home. Determined to honour his calling as best he can, he throws himself into the footy mad, two-pub town, navigating the dusty streets, learning the gossip, and striking up a friendship with Jonah Parks, the resident police sergeant and local bona fide hero.

A police officer and a priest often find themselves needed at the same place, and Jonah and Matthew’s friendship deepens quickly, as they set about their business of protecting the bodies and souls of Dinbratten’s residents. When a bushfire threatens the town, and Matthew’s inexperience with fire endangers the church buildings, Jonah comes to the rescue, and a reckless kiss in the midst of the chaos takes their friendship to forbidden.

Neither Matthew nor Jonah can go back to the way things were before, but continuing their relationship puts everything at risk: their jobs, their friends, even their lives. In the outback town of Dinbratten where everyone knows everything about everyone else, how can they ever expect to keep a secret this explosive?

Review

 “You gonna sing hymns with that tongue in the morning, Father?”

Every now and again I stumble across a book that takes me completely by surprise in the best possible way. By the Currawong’s Call, was such a book for me. It was so very well written, and brought me a touching, and beautiful story with such apparent ease, and through such clear images that I’m still in awe now, days after finishing the book.

Matthew and Jonah are both wonderful characters. Neither of them are perfect, but both of them are the sort of men you’d like to count among your friends. And together they work, despite their different backgrounds and outlooks on life, death, and religion — or maybe because of those differences?

This is the story of these two men, but mostly Matthew, through whose eyes we’re experiencing events, coming to terms with something they never expected to have to deal with. And of course, with Matthew being a priest, his problem is even bigger than ‘just’ indulging in an illegal relationship. He somehow has to reconcile his faith, his view of God and religion, his visions for his life, with this love he feels for Jonah.

“We are a wonder together, Matthew thought. An absolute wonder.”

And yet, By the Currawong’s Call is anything but an angst-driven and drama-filled story.  Of course, if ever there was a time and subject matter which would make a (very) angsty story-line acceptable, even in my eyes, this is probably it. And yet, the author managed to avoid that trap and provided me with a story in which issues are by no means swept under the carpet or ignored, but aren’t drawn out either. Problems are dealt with, solutions, as elusive as they may appear, are found. In fact, While both the reader and Matthew and Jonah are constantly aware of the risks they are taking as a result of giving into the attraction and feelings between them, for most of the story, that’s not where the tension comes from. Until very late in the story, third parties are only a potential, but never a direct, threat. If ever a story proved that love will find a way, this is it.

In short, By the Currawong’s Call is a beautiful, understated yet evocative, and very memorable story. Welton B. Marsland will be added to my list of authors to keep an eye out for.

“They had the power to ruin one another, completely and utterly. Instead, they were deciding on the exact opposite of ruination. They were going to build something together. A life, if nothing else.”

Just Hear Me by L.A. Witt

A short story based on The Father Project

41 Pages

Buy Links:     Amazon         Amazon UK

The blurb

Five years ago, Darius awoke to an empty bed. He’s never forgotten Jordan, though, and now he wants to face the man—now a priest—who broke his heart.

Jordan has tried to put his sinful past behind him and focus on his duties as a clergyman. The only problem is that even half a decade later, he’s haunted by his feelings for the man he wasn’t supposed to love.

When Darius confronts Jordan, it’s a disaster. But it might also be the beginning of the second chance both men desperately need…

This 11,000 word short story is based on The Father Project by Tooji, and written/sold with permission. All royalties from Just Hear Me fund a short film project being produced by Tooji and the author. Any surplus (or monies received after the film’s production) will be donated to an LGBT charity of the author’s choosing.

My thoughts

I saw the video this short story is based on long before I read the words. Both the video and the blurb tell you everything you need to know about this story, so I won’t go into that.

What I do want to say is that this short tale really captivated me. Both men’s despair and pain almost leap off the page to grip you by the throat. It would have been easy to portray Jordan as the villain of this piece; after all, he does desert the man who loves him dearly without saying goodbye or explaining his actions. But Jordan has demons to deal with. How do you choose between a calling and the love of your life when the two are not compatible? How do you throw away all you thought your life would be for something you know the world at large, the church you’re a member of, and your family rejects and sees as an abomination.

Darius’s anger is so understandable. Five years have passed since Jordan walked out on him and yet it might as well have been yesterday for how raw Darius’s pain still is. Of course it is exactly because of the depth of the feelings both of them have for each other that their coming together, when it does happen, is such a powerful and memorable moment.

This is a short story. We get some background and the feelings both men harbour today, five years after they’ve last seen each other, and we aren’t told anything about what will happen to them after their reunion, although a relationship appears to be on the cards. This could have been frustrating (I wouldn’t be surprised if it is for some readers) but for me it worked because in these few pages L.A. Witt managed to convince me that Darius and Jordan will find their way. I don’t really mind not knowing exactly how they’ll manage that or what form their life together will take, the fact that they are heading that way was enough for me in this tale.

This was a gripping short read about two tortured souls coming together after way too much time apart and as such I thoroughly enjoyed it.

And here’s a link to the video that inspired the story: Tooji – The Father Project

MORNING REPORT by Sue Brown

MORNING REPORT by Sue Brown

 

Pages:          220

Date:           June 17, 2015

Details:        No. 1 Morning Report

Copy received from Author

E-book

The blurb:

“A decade on from their first kiss, Luke Murray is more in love with Simon every day. Running the Lost Cow ranch for Luke's parents, they keep their heads down and get along with the locals, even if Luke is known for being a hothead. Then one day they discover the local store owners refuse to serve them. They're bewildered until Luke's mom tells them the new pastor has targeted the couple in his sermons. Suddenly Luke and Simon find themselves alienated from people they called friends, and their ranch comes under a series of attacks. As the town's hatred and homophobia turns on them, Luke and Simon will face a critical choice: give in to the town's demands and disappear, or stand and fight for themselves and their love.”

My thoughts:

Yes, I know, I’m reading this series the wrong way around. I started with the fourth Morning Report title, Letters from a Cowboy, and loved it so much I had no hesitation saying yes when Sue Brown offered me the opportunity to read the book that started it all: Morning Report. I was not disappointed.

Morning Report is slightly different from most romances we read. This is not a story about two men coming together but rather a look at what happens to Luke and Simon when their decade long relationship suddenly comes up against adversity in the form of homophobia from the people who have known Luke all his life and had been accepting of the couple for years.

Luke and Simon are one of the cutest couples ever. Despite their years together they’re as in love as ever, can’t keep their hands (and other body parts) off each other and basically behave like love-struck teenagers. If I ever met them face to face I might well join forces with Luke’s sister and make fun of their need for each other.

All joking aside, this book touched my heart for quite a few reasons and on numerous occasions. It also deals with something we rarely acknowledge; relationships tend to be easy as long as life just moves along at a steady pace without any big surprises. We don’t find out what our relationship (or our partner) is made off until we are forced to face a big and possibly traumatic situation together. Some relationships crumble; others, like Luke and Simon’s, have to be reassessed but thrive in the long run.

I loved the setting and all the secondary characters in this book. In fact, the situation that touched my heart most and had me on the edge of my seat as I read on with fear in my heart, dealt with somebody close to our heroes. I kept on whispering please don’t, please don’t under my breath. Whether or not I got my wish and what exactly the situation was I won’t diverge here though. Read the book. It’s good.

As always Sue Brown makes us think about issues while treating us to an entertaining, sexy and next to impossible to put down story. Homophobia is never easy to read about and religious intolerance makes me see red. The fact that more or less a whole town, en masse, turned against Luke and Simon just because a new pastor told them too, infuriated me. Because it is all too easy to believe this happens in everyday life to real-life people who may or may not have the support system the characters in this book had.

Before anybody thinks this book was ‘just’ a heavy read let me reassure you. I laughed as much as I frowned while reading Morning Report, tears of joy replaced sad tears once or twice and the antics between Simon and Luke had me laughing out loud more than once. And to say these two men, who can’t keep their hands off each other, were hot would be an understatement. I love me a toppy bottom as much as a top happy to indulge him. And I can’t help feeling most of us might be a lot happier if we too introduced ‘morning reports’ into our lives.

MARK OF CAIN

MARK OF CAIN by Kate Sherwood

Pages:  338

Date: June 20, 2014

Grate: 5

Details: Received from Samhain Publishing

            Through Love Romances and More

Own / Kindle

The blurb:

“When a man is consumed by hatred, is there anything left to love?

After a tough day of counseling sessions, Anglican priest Mark Webber is looking forward to a relaxing dinner at a local restaurant. When he sees who’s bellied up to the bar, though, he reaches for his cell phone to call the police.

It’s Lucas Cain, the man who killed Mark’s brother three years ago. Apparently he’s out of jail and hanging out with his old crowd, which has to be a breach of parole, right?

Pulled over upon leaving the bar, Lucas blows a clean breathalyzer and hopes this isn’t a harbinger of things to come. He’s ready to build a sober, peaceful life. His friends aren’t ready to let him move on, though, and he ends up taking refuge in an Anglican half-way house.

Thrown together, Mark and Lucas find common ground in the struggle to help a young gay man come to terms with his sexuality—and the fight against homophobic townsfolk. As attraction grows, the past is the last stumbling block between them and a future filled with hope.”

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My thoughts:

I wasn’t sure how much I was going to like the book. While the blurb sounded intriguing I also feared I might be in for a predictable and possibly slightly frustrating read.

Well, colour me surprised. Not because the story turned out to be completely different from what I expected, it wasn’t. No, I’m happily surprised because there was nothing frustrating about this book. The story didn’t contain any forced or protracted drama. With a story- line as described above this was always going to be an angsty book, and they have a habit of upsetting me. It was wonderful to read a book in which the angst made perfect sense and was portrayed realistically. There is a lot of it and yet it doesn’t feel as if that’s the central theme of the book. The angst is part of a much larger story; it didn’t take over or dominate the narrative

This story and the relationships between the characters develop organically. There are no ‘magical’ moments, no instant conversions or other miracles. Not every issue is resolved when the book ends. This realism made The ‘Mark of Cain’ a near perfect book for me. In most romance novels I read there will be at least one character I want to slap because of their stupidity or refusal to communicate. I loved the honesty and openness between Mark and Lucas. It is great to follow two characters who actually listen to each other.

Of the three main characters I was most impressed with Lucas. He’s made a terrible and fatal mistake in the past and is trying to keep himself going from day to day. He’s not looking for forgiveness because he doesn’t think he deserves it. He wants to be a better man but doesn’t think it will ever make up for the wrong he did in the past. He is matter of fact about the situation he finds himself in and never allows himself the luxury of self-pity. He never sees himself as a martyr, which means the reader doesn’t have to see him that way either.

“Nah. I deserve what I get.” – Lucas

It took me a bit longer to fall for Mark and I’m not entirely sure why. There were moments when I adored him. I loved the words he uses when he talks to Alex about being gay, because it’s such a wonderful way of talking to a confused 16 year old.

“I walk, I sit, I wake, I sleep. All gay, all day” – Mark to Alex

Maybe it took me longer to like Mark because I fell for Lucas straight away and he didn’t. And while his reasons for thoroughly disliking Lucas were better than good, I still wanted him to see what I saw in Lucas. As soon as he did start to see it, my reservations about him were gone. I also thought the process Mark goes through when it comes to his faith and the Anglican Church were well worked out and convincing.

The idea of the two men bonding over Alex - a sixteen year old boy struggling with his homosexuality and his homophobic father - and their need to help him was inspired. Alex infatuation with Lucas was adorable and the way Lucas and Mark dealt with it was sensitive as well as realistic.

I could say a whole lot more about this book. I fell in love with it and I tend to get carried away when that happens. So I’ll force myself to stop now. I just want to say that if you happen to be looking for a wonderful romance centred around two men you can’t help but fall for, you need to pick up this book. It is well written and immaculately plotted. You will find a smooth read with sparkling dialogue. If you enjoy a few smiles and chuckles with your angst, this is the book for you. If you want your next book to introduce you to two characters you may not want to say goodbye to, you could do a lot worse than pick up ‘The Mark of Cain.’

“We’re nothing like Romeo and Juliet, he said. Cause we’re going to make it.” - Lucas

NO DISTANCE LEFT TO RUN

NO DISTANCE LEFT TO RUN by L.A. Witt & Aleksandr Voinov

Pages: 227

Date: 20/05/2014

Grade: 4.5i

Details: No. 4 The Distance Between Us

            Received from Samhain Publishing

            Through Love Romances and More

Own / Kindle

The blurb:

“The night before Chris and his best friend Joshua were sent thousands of miles apart on their respective Mormon missions, they finally gave in to their mutual desire. Left trying to make sense of what happened, Chris’s already shaky faith crumbled altogether a year later when Joshua suddenly died.

Inconsolable, ostracized by his family and the only community he’d ever known, Chris found his way on his own. Now he’s going to school and loves his job as a bartender at Wilde’s. Years after Joshua’s death, he’s finally moving on.

Then a familiar face rocks his world. Joshua isn’t dead. He’s back in Seattle to make peace with his dying father, with a new name, a new accent…and old feelings for Chris that are alive and well.

Forgiveness doesn’t come easy for anyone, but just as Chris is accepting that the man he loves isn’t going to run away this time, their families threaten to pull them apart all over again…”

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My thoughts:

This is the fourth book in the ‘Distance Between Us’ series but can easily be read as a stand-alone.

It has been five years since Chris and his best friend Joshua gave in to their feelings for each other and spent one passionate but clumsy night together. The following the day both of them left on for their separate two year long Mormon missions. Chris has had doubt s about his faith and the Mormon community he is a part of for some time but both his world and his faith are shattered when he finds out Joshua has gone missing and is assumed dead. Cutting his mission short, Chris returns to Seattle where he turns his back on his faith and finds himself excluded from the community he grew up in as well as his family.

When Chris discovers that Joshua isn’t dead and is on his way home to reconcile with his family and dying father his emotions are torn between relief and anger.

The man who returns to Seattle may look like an older version of Joshua but after five years in the French Foreign Legion he’s acquired an accent as well as a new name - Julian - and no intention of returning to the Joshua he used to be. What’s more, the attraction between the two men is as strong as it ever was. Despite his lingering anger and the fear that Julian may just leave again, Chris offers him a place to stay and it isn’t long before that place turns out to be in Chris’ bed.

The Church and Julian’s family aren’t prepared to just allow the lost son to be who he needs to be though, forcing Julian to make an impossible choice between the man he loves and his family. All Chris can do is stand on the sidelines, ready to catch Julian should he fall.

“Not simple by any means - there was nothing left between us that could be considered simple – but easier.”

No review of mine could summarize this story better than the quote above does. This book is an emotional rollercoaster. The love and passion between the two men is so intense and beautiful it will take your breath away while the pressures put on them by their families and community are both realistic and heartbreaking. The angst in this book isn’t the result of doubts about the two men’s commitment to or feelings for each other, although Chris suffers some of those. The tension is the result of outside forces doing their damnest to keep the two men apart. Nobody should ever be forced to choose between their family and the person they love, and yet that is exactly the choice Julian is left with.

While the story is told from Chris’ point of few I did get a good impression of Julian’s difficult journey too and he all but broke my heart. Because Chris has gone through a similar process years before he knows exactly what Julian is dealing with although that doesn’t alleviate his helplessness. He can’t force Julian to choose between him and his family and is all too aware he may lose Julian, despite the man’s obvious feelings for him. Lesser authors might have jumped on the opportunity to force that rift between the two men; Aleksandr Voinov and L.A. Witt are good enough to know the story didn’t need the extra tension. The story as it is provided almost more angst than I could deal with as it was and I’m so grateful they didn’t go for overkill.

For someone who has huge issues with organised religion at the best of times this was the perfect read. Not only because the two main characters take their stance against the indoctrination they’re facing but also because it showed the other side as well. The side where the love within a family can’t be broken, not even by the power and rules of a self-important head of the congregation. I liked that it didn’t make the dilemma black against white. Yes, Chris is shunned by the people he grew up with and knows that he’ll never be able to be part of that community again. But even five years later it still hurts him, because it does. Even when a clean break is the only option it doesn’t mean it is an easy one and I applaud the authors for including that hardship in this story.

And, before I forget, allow me to add that the relationship between Chris and Julian is HOT. Both men have used the five years apart to become experienced and inventive lovers. When they get together passion rules and naughty fantasies spice up their bed, bringing this reader some wonderful moments in the process.

As I’ve come to expect from this partnership this was a very well written and captivating love story filled with tension, tender moments and passionate love. This book was a pure joy to read while giving me plenty to think about at the same time. I may be repeating myself but I don’t care; Voinov and Witt are now high on my list of must-read authors and I can’t thank them enough for being as prolific as they are.