Annery
Everything you've heard is true. We lost a whole generation of men in a brutal fashion to a virus that still haunts us to this day. It was awful. Reading this brought back that time plus reading about 2015 fifteen now makes it a double historical. So much has happened in eight years!Fiona lives with the memory of her brother and his friends who succumbed to AIDS and 2015 she's still carrying that weight. Perhaps she always will. Perhaps we will too.The author evokes that period in time, 1985/86 etc., with almost photographic skill which only makes the sure losses to come more devastating. The present time of the book (2015), where Fiona has come to Paris in search of her estranged daughter, serves as journey to finally begin cauterizing the open wound that has been her life.I loved Yale ❤️The audio by [a:Michael Crouch 838493 Michael Crouch https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1695634287p2/838493.jpg] will break your heart.
This is a story about complicated people living through complicated situations. I'm fine with that. I welcome these kinds of stories but inexplicably this just missed the mark for me.
The story takes place in 2003/2004 and the twenty years that have passed make it quasi historical. I like historical fiction and am old enough to remember these times so I wasn't shocked. The politics that imbue a lot of the story are tragically still relevant. Very much so. These aspects were related by the author in a credible voice, she knows whereof she speaks of both on the subject of the LGB community and Israel & its politics.
I think that what prevented me from loving this was twofold. While I understand that the politics very much affected and informed life choices made by the characters, at times it seemed to subsume everything else, as if they were mouthpieces to present certain viewpoints. I can live with that. The real stumbling block was the couple.
Why are Matt & Daniel together? Are they actually in love or did Matt just get tired and scared of the NYC scene and Daniel saw this handsome ex-party boy as his deserved reward for ... ? I dunno. I do know that the person getting the short end of the stick is Matt. Daniel is everything but nice or loving towards him. The excuse is that Daniel is grieving but that didn't wash for me. Maybe a second reading at a different time might cast this in another light but for now the structure that's supposed to hold this story up, two adults in love buffeted by the slings & arrows of life, doesn't hold water. If this were real life I'd venture to say that Matt & Daniel are no longer together.
The rating is for the writing and the unflinching portrayal of characters & situations that aren't necessarily comfortable or lovable.
This is a romantic comedy. I like romantic comedy movies & plays but it turns out that they are not so much my jam in the written form. My bad for having picked this. I started at a disadvantage. Weirdly I enjoyed the first third or so the story and even smiled at certain times.
The thing is that Ray's insecurities and general personality, at least reading about them, and having only his POV wore off it's welcome. Also I couldn't grasp what Adam saw in Ray. Ray who alternated between ogling Adam as a shiny bauble (he's model beautiful of course) or screeching at him for the cheating ways of Ray's former partner. Nonetheless Ray did avail himself of the help/comfort/attention Adam offered.
I also didn't buy or need the dangling of Adam as some sort of Dom with no actual follow through. I'm no super fan of BDSM but if you're gonna go there go there. Otherwise it's unnecessary.
I'd still say that someone who enjoys a comedic non-cozy cozy would enjoy this. The writing is clean and direct and yes, funny.
This is a case of expectations vs. reality not met but I'm not going to say it was a bad thing. Just not what foresaw going into this read.
Starting by the cover (which I love), title, and blurb I thought this would be second chance romance between mature adults. On paper it is. And it isn't.
The book is split into two parts titled Jake & Colt but it's really all kind of an omniscient POV. The story is told in present time and flashbacks to two time periods: high school and Halloween when both MC have come back to their hometown(ish) during their college days. These episodes revolve around missed opportunities for them both to come out to each other and profess their mutual attraction. It happens.
The present day has Jake dealing with his parents, his professional life, and reverting to a besotted teen whenever he sees Colt, which isn't un-relatable. However I struggled to get a grasp onto who these people were and/or their actual feelings beyond “we crushed on each other as youths and despite all of life experiences (I think they're in their mid 30's) we're in love”. I guess that's romantic but ...
Colt has the most textbook supportive parents, is smart (he's a doctor), and by description is super hot yet he's managed to not have any meaningful relationship. Is it just in service of the trope that he only has eyes & heart for his boyhood crush whom he never had anything with?
To me the story is about second chances but not necessarily the romantic type, that's incidental and where the romance readership could be disappointed. Despite the flashbacks to Jake & Colt's younger selves crushing on each other the issue to be resolved is Jake's situation with his parents. IMO it got the Hallmark treatment.
I'm not a proponent of never forgive, people make mistakes & they can change, but throughout the book, present day & flashbacks, Jake's mother is the bog standard, bible quoting, religious fanatic when it comes to Jake's sexuality and revelations made by her towards the end only make it worse. Meanwhile we're meant to forget all this as she makes a 180 in record time. I didn't believe it. Jake's father on the other hand is portrayed as the good guy while he knew of and condoned by silence the behavior of his wife. Also didn't buy it.
Other things that needled me? I'm glad you asked.
The indeterminate age child who speaks and acts like an adult from another age and validates the choices his parent wants to make rather than be an actual child.
The de rigueur outré female friend which every gay male character seems to have. She's sassy, slutty, and has a mouth on her with zero filter. Here we get two. One for each MC. I'm tired of them.
The present day romance between the MC is just a couple of dates in which the talk (which is good) but so much is off page (I don't care much but forewarned that all of the smexy times are curtains) that I felt like the author is yada yadaing a big chunk of the story.
Anyway enough of my carping. If you're looking for a well written sweet story about second chances in life this isn't a bad read and it's on KU.
As usual YMMV
Ninth book in and the author finds ways to surprise the reader and his MC. Brilliant.
Smith is back on a case, one that is personal, but having retired he finds himself on the outside. An old dog learning new tricks and all that except that they're not so new.
Ingeniously characters who we met in passing in other books or seemed inconsequential window dressing reemerge sometimes in a different light and almost center stage. Only almost because Smith continues to be the beacon of these stories and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Turns out Smith can only be so much of a househusband before his brain fries and Jo sees it even when he doesn't or doesn't want to. Taking on a case to help a friend is just the thing to test out the waters.
Things go well until they don't and that's something I appreciate about this series. There is no sugar coating the bitter pills but there's no gratuitous cruelty either.
Eagerly awaiting the audio for the next one and I'll likely dive in to the other Kings Lake stories.
I was trying to get rid of some paperbacks and somehow started rereading this. I'm glad I did.
I think this author had/has more successful books, in terms of popularity, and that's likely due to what she gets right:
The story takes place in 1345/1346 and mercifully the characters act, behave, and speak accordingly. There is no presentism.
Romance readers need have no fear as this is a love story albeit among people who live in their times and their reality. It was glorious.
Needless to say this paperback stays.
ps. I don't know that this series needs to be read as a series or in any particular order.
Melancholy, heart wrenching, fantastic audio.
This installments threads up story lines that were seeded from the beginning and sets the stage for the Kings Lake Investigations series in a very satisfactory way. David Conrad Smith a.k.a D.C. continues to be the engine to these stories but the other characters are fully formed and interesting in their own right.
Bravo!!!
BOOK CLUB READ
I'm sure that for those who like these types of books this was a great read. I didn't hate. I was just bored and new where it was going from the outset. At one time I was an avid reader of this genre and I enjoyed them well enough but I can't say they're my cup of tea anymore. I'll watch these stories as adapted for a Lifetime miniseries.
I've come to think of them as the good for you, learn things, empowering reads that I'm past caring about.
As usual YMMV
This one really has that ‘time slipping through our hands' feeling for Smith and that Faulkner quote “The past is never dead. It's not even past.” is resonant throughout. Bittersweet goodbyes and new beginnings are in the air.
In that spirit the case is solved by on the page noticeable contributions by the whole squad and the change that's come to Lake is unexpectedly good.
I find that these are best enjoyed in quick succession as the plots follow each other close in time and it's no hardship.
Smith has developed into a fully formed character with a history that's teased out in each installment and satisfactorily so. I'm already feeling nostalgia for when his arc ends and this series ends. I'll enjoy it in the meantime.
Another great entry into the D.C. Smith world and a fantastic audio.
This is more like a solo project for Smith as “the case” has nothing to do with crime, current or past, in Kings Lake but with Smith's past during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Revelations abound one of which was telegraphed early on but only confirmed at the very end in a very Smith way. What will come of it?
Recommend 10/10
Yes, I'm continuing with this series which I would strongly recommend but I must emphasize that it should be read/listened to in order as there are storylines threaded throughout the books that get a little nugget in each installment.
Here another circuitous case lands in Smith's lap while life continues around him: Chris going through growing pains, Jo inadvertently burrowing under his skin, Serena finding her legs among the squad. I had a few bad minutes where I thought this was going to be a heartbreaker but the author took pity on his characters & the reader.
10/10 recommend ❤️
We already met Sheriff Hunter in [b:The Tin Star 87272 The Tin Star (Ranch Series, #1) J.L. Langley https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388518662l/87272.SY75.jpg 84238] where to my mind he was a much more interesting character. I wanted to know more about him. However when we meet him here he's become functionally alienated from his parents & home because he's been carrying a torch since he was a teenager for Shane Cortez, the ranch foreman. Due to reasons as a teenager Shane was kicked out by his family and the Hunters took him in when Grayson was eight. Since then a hero worship develops into a crush & lasting love for Gray. It's secretly reciprocated by Shane. Because of the dreaded miscommunication the MC are separated & have minimal to no conversations during eight years. After a family emergency Shane & Gray come together in the biblical sense and it's non-stop shagging. The problems are external and not entirely unrealistic. They get resolved in a fairly satisfying way.Overall I enjoyed this but preferred the first book in the series.
Traditional modern English mystery. Excellent audio.
In this 2nd installment we get to go deeper into the character of David Smith and leave him in a perhaps hopeful stage. We'll see in the next one.
The case isn't too mysterious but it does nudge us towards reflection and I might have teared up once or twice.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
This was short and painless but given the type of relationship that develops between the MC (a D/s one) the brevity didn't work for me. Regardless of my personal tastes I think a BDSM relationship necessitates time to the develop the trust needed. The MC in this story jump right into it in a sense at the first meeting.
If unlike me you're not too fussy you could while away some time reading this
4.5 for the story but the narration deserves a whole star of its own so 5.00 it is.Refreshing traditional romance in a top notch narration by [a:Bianca Amato 6466294 Bianca Amato https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1471705142p2/6466294.jpg].I'd never read [a:Amanda Quick 42211 Amanda Quick https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1362431091p2/42211.jpg] gasp so I have no comparison to her other work but I was glad of a heroine who wasn't a prudish, fainting, shy or ignorant Miss and a hero who wasn't the reformed rake. Nothing against rakes but this was a nice change of pace.There were no misunderstandings, there was clear communication between the MC, and the mystery was sustained fairly well. The villain was a bit omniscient & omnipotent for my taste but we can't have everything always.
Things I Find in My Bookshelves
At twenty one Jamie gets kicked out from the family ranch by his father because he came out as gay. Luckily he gets taken in by fellow rancher Ethan who happens to be his brother's best friend and ... gay. Ethan never saw a reason to be overt about his sexuality but Jamie may change that. Soon.
Jamie and Ethan fall into love/lust almost as soon as Jamie sets foot in the Tin Star. There's little to no friction between them and neither seems conflicted about their sexuality. Jamie's siblings, ranch-ands (save two), and a good chunk of the townfolks are all accepting or unperturbed by the gay cowboys in their midst. That was super refreshing given that the tension or conflict in the story comes from Jamie's father who is just an absolute demon. He hates Jamie and not only because he's gay. He recruits a few douchebags to do his bidding and inevitably things go sideways.
As I said there are virtually no issues between the MC and though it's very insta it felt right. Sometimes the right person is in front of us and these two have chemistry to spare. The sexy times are smoldering.
Despite events this is essentially a light, low angst, smooth & easy read particularly given that it came out in 2006 (before marriage equality was even a reality). My quibble would be that there are a few too many threads left dangling what happens with Jamie's father, his brother, and the Quad J etc but overall I enjoyed it.
Sometimes I surprise myself. Though I've owned this for a bit I managed to “save it” for my time of need. The time was now and [a:Dal Maclean 15408926 Dal Maclean https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1470182224p2/15408926.jpg] came through with flying colors. What did I like about this? Nothing. I. LOVED. ALL. OF. IT.
4.5
What a ride! My complaints/criticisms of the first two volumes remain but I got over myself and enjoyed an epic love story. One for the ages. That this was published on AO3 still boggles my mind.
We start off with Ryan in self imposed isolation, mourning a relationship that never was and watching from afar as his love and friends go on living. Or doing a good facsimile of life. Luckily a fan & would be Ryan biographer pries him from the deep freeze and sets him on a path back to life.
The whole series is told from Ryan's P.O.V. but the thoughts and motivations of the other characters don't remain a mystery. I for one knew where Brendon was coming from and had no difficulty empathizing with his choices.
Perhaps my favorite thing is how the author doesn't inject modern mores into a story that takes place in the past. Even though the end is a HEA it remains rooted in a historical reality.
Though the original inspiration for the story seems to be Panic! fandom I had songs from a different band running through my mind, particularly “I Wanna Be Yours” by Arctic Monkeys. To my mind it could've been written by the character of Ryan (apologies to Alex Turner) and easily be the anthem for his love for Brendon.
This is long. A lot of time is spent describing the minutiae of road life for a touring band, Ryan's head and thought process is thoroughly explored etc. None of it was boring but I'm sure this was published in installments and meant to be digested piecemeal like books of yore. I paced it out because time has been scarce but I would definitely recommend a slow read too just to ensure the enjoyment factor. Maybe I'm wrong.