"Rick R. Reed has been on my To Be Read radar for a while now, and so when the opportunity came up to read and review his latest release, I eagerly jumped on it. This story centers around Cole and Rory, a young couple moving in together, new in their relationship, and living life in the Midwestern city of Chicago. Reed's knowledge of the neighborhoods and attention to detail of the city is impressive, immediately immersing the reader into the gay 1990's in this well-known city. Having lived as an out gay man during the 90's, I was impressed as I too recalled the history at the time. Bars and clubs were the preferred gathering place, smartphones didn't exist, nor did the hookup apps - and so how did young gay men find each other? Either by sitting in said bars or through the city's local hookup phone lines. I had forgotten all about those phone lines, and I found myself transported back to my youth while reading this story - well done Mr. Reed! It was an enjoyable walk down memory lane. The mystery in this novel is what happens to Rory - a self-proclaimed Sci-Fi nut, who goes missing. The reader knows why, but the details about the event are never explored, keeping the entire incident a true conundrum. Even Rory himself doesn't remember the details of his abduction. The book focuses on the development of the characters. What's going on in their heads, how Cole deals with his lover's sudden disappearance, and what happens to the people from Rory's life who are left wondering, "What happened?" Twenty years later Rory returns. We get to see how the characters from the beginning of the story have changed, how life has progressed, and how they react to Rory's sudden reappearance. There are some scintillating and steamy scenes between Rory and Cole, but I'm not entirely sure I would have called this an M/M Romance, as I'm not convinced there was a Happily Ever After, or even a Happy For Now ending. There is a sudden disappearance involving aliens, but I'm not sure I would have called this book a Sci-Fi adventure, as the details of the abduction are left to the reader's imagination and the Sci-Fi aspect isn't truly explored. But what you do get is a solid story, steeped in 90's gay culture, vivid descriptions and amazing character development. If you're looking for a story that's just a touch different than your average book, I'd recommend this. As I said above, Mr. Reed has been on my To Read list for a while. That hasn't changed, and with this book, I've now found another author whose talent for telling a story takes me out of reality for a while as I explore his worlds. Nicely done Mr. Reed! Nicely done.
I'll be sure to check out other novels by this author."
PRE-ORDER
Amazon
Amazon Kindle
Dreamspinner Press
Kobo
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.