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Clear Water

by Amy Lane (Goodreads Author)

4.22 of 5 stars 4.22 · rating details · 1,693 ratings · 251 reviews

Meet Patrick Cleary party boy, loser, and spaz. Patrick's been trying desperately to transform himself, and the results have been so spectacular, they've almost killed him. Meet Wes "Whiskey" Keenan he's a field biologist wondering if it's time to settle down. When the worst day of Patrick's life ends with Whiskey saving it, Patrick and Whiskey find themselves sharing comp...more

Paperback, 230 pages

Published September 16th 2011 by Dreamspinner Press (first published September 1st 2011)

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Lists with This Book

Between Sinners and Saints by Marie Sexton

Best M/M Romance Published in 2011

12th out of 399 books — 860 voters

Best Gay Light-Hearted Romance

3rd out of 156 books — 203 voters

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Community Reviews

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Sep 01, 2011 Lacey rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, contemporary, age-difference, super-cute, humorous, adorable-mc, favorites

4.5 stars

I absolutely adored Patrick in this story. He's so cute and spazzy and lovable, and all I wanted was for him to succeed and realize how awesome he is. And you can't help but love Whiskey for how he loves Patrick and takes care of him. Everyone should seriously have their very own Whiskey.

Unlike many of Amy Lane's novels, this one is very light on the angst. For the most part, it's a quirky, fun story sort of like If I Must. What angst there is isn't so much sad or drama, but instead it'...more

10 likes · like · see review

Sep 20, 2011 Deeze rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, laugh-out-loud

An all round great read. It had a little of everything, intrigue, drama, humour and tears. In fact the last quarter had me tearing up regularly. Patrick and his dad were heartbreaking but in a good way.

If I wasn't crying then I was laughing, or simply smiling.

Those frogs were a mixture of poor things verses I want one (two?) lol.

I agree with everyone else, Patrick was totally adorable, a real character, so sweet with his quirks and constantly thinking he was always wrong. Then Whiskey who seems...more

5 likes · like · see review

Sep 14, 2011 Vio rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sweet, interesting, cute, contemporary

Patrick and Whiskey they had nice chemistry. Both of them saved in a different way, Patrick from drowning and Whiskey from a monotonous life. Patrick was vibrant and fun and added some spice and turmoil to the lives of Whiskey and Fly Bait. A dynamo, whirlwind that flew into their lives causing mischief and havoc! His insecurities and self confidence issues slowly get better with medication, support and LOVE. The environmental research into the frogs deformities, from pollution was interesting....more

4 likes · like · see review

May 13, 2013 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, fluff, audiobook, all-time-favourites

I absolutely ADORE Patrick, he's one of my all time favourite characters, so funny, cute, vulnerable and spazzy. I loved that the book revolved around the character development more than outside issues, and every time Patrick had issues with his ADHD he made me think of my lovely sister :)

I loved this book and will definitely re-read it again soon, if I could give it 6 stars I would have!

***Re-"read" on Audio 13-05-13***

Even better the second time around, the aduio version of this was amazing,...more

3 likes · like · see review

Sep 03, 2011 Ami rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mm-romance-or-erotica, mm-contemporary

I have to admit that Amy Lane is not my auto-buy author (I know, SCANDAL!). I can't always find "chemistry" with her writing style. I prefer to stick to her contemporary titles. Even so, I don't read all of them and tend to wait for reviews before jumping in. So after I saw many positive reviews for this one, I decided to give it a grenn light.

AND HOLY, this is one GREAT book!!! The winning element is definitely the characters, Patrick and Whiskey. Patrick is a 23-year-old young man, who suffers...more

10 likes · like · see review

Sep 02, 2011 Lauraadriana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: buy-asap, fave-authors, lmao, loved-it, m-m, love-conquers-all, age-difference

Another great book by Amy Lane...Amy Lane is not an auto-buy author for me in this genre, she's required reading and with damn good reason.

This books is about Patrick and Whiskey. Patrick is a 23 year old man, who has ADHD and not a lot of support from anyone around him. His father is a very wealthy, very indifferent man, his mom took off long ago, and his 'boyfriend' just wants him for his dad's money.

Patrick ends up in a very bad situation, and getting his ass saved, by Wesley "Whiskey" Keenan...more

20 likes · like · see review

Oct 10, 2011 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: gotta-have-it, own-it, keeper

Patrick is the most loveably sweet man anyone could ever hope to meet but people keep missing that he’s amazing because of his ADHD. But the one man who literally, saves him from death, he understands because he’s bright and sensitive and he pays attention. The dynamic between Whiskey and Patrick begins with Whiskey being the savior and Patrick being the one who needs to be saved and then evolves until it is, at the conclusion, completely reversed. By the end of the book, Patrick, who was never...more

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 31, 2011 MsMiz (Tina) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: glbt-all, pdf

I am SO in love with Whiskey, Patrick and Fly Bait. Amy, you can rock the socks off a blank piece of paper lady. This story was fantastic - I really do not have enough words for how much I loved these 2. Every one needs Whiskey in their lives.

6 likes · like · see review

Sep 16, 2011 Bookwatcher ~Mary MooCow~ rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Bookwatcher ~Mary MooCow~ by: Mistral

Shelves: glbt-gay, romance

Two hot guys, incredible funny story, suspense, and.... FROGS!!!!

If you are like me an avid M/M (male/male) reader this writer is not an stranger for you. Yeah, it's an Amy Lane, so you must expect a perfect writing, funny characters, heartbreaking love story, so much angst you will want to bang your head in the wall

... NO WAIT! The last one NO!
I read

and I think this one is the most romantic

and less "tragic" of her stories (Also Super Sock man, but it's a short story)

So, I can't...more

10 likes · like · see review

Nov 17, 2011 Kris (KindleRomance) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle

I loved Whiskey!! He was such an amazing down-to-earth person. He took such good care of Patrick. Patrick was such a sweetheart. Watching the two of them together was very sweet. There wasn't any negative drama between the two of them. The plot was interesting and Fly Bait was a fun character. Overall a great story!

5 likes · like · see review

Apr 25, 2012 Alaska rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: hurt-comfort, m-m-disabilities-and-illness, m-m-modern-world

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. To read this book was exhausting and at times really annoying. I liked the story and the idea of a ADHD character and his challenges in life just fine. I even liked Whiskey and Patrick although I didn’t much care about Fly Bait and her girlfriend (but that’s simply because I don’t like too many female characters in my m/m-books, so that’s more my problem than the book’s). But what I didn’t like, what I hated and made me want to throw my ebook-reader in a corner a few times was all the swearing t...more To read this book was exhausting and at times really annoying. I liked the story and the idea of a ADHD character and his challenges in life just fine. I even liked Whiskey and Patrick although I didn’t much care about Fly Bait and her girlfriend (but that’s simply because I don’t like too many female characters in my m/m-books, so that’s more my problem than the book’s). But what I didn’t like, what I hated and made me want to throw my ebook-reader in a corner a few times was all the swearing that was going on. I don’t have anything against strong language or swearing per se. And I get it that authors want to give their characters an individual speaking pattern and that in some situations it’s a way of expressing big emotions. All that is just fine by me. But in this book it was completely inappropriate. There was just too much of it. I mean, on the one hand we have a scientist that is doing research and teaches students or something like that (not that scientist can’t swear), on the other hand there is a guy who I would expect got a good enough education from his stinking rich father that he should not swear like that. But in the end, the fathers swore as much as he did. I just find it unbelievable that those characters all swear like a drunken medieval back ally whore. And I don’t want to read that. It always seemed to me that the author threw in a few “shits” and “fuckings” (and not in the fun way) whenever the sentence was too short. It just got really annoying and I couldn’t enjoy the book how I wanted to. I bet the story would be just half as long if you take out all the swear words.
Another thing I don’t get is why no one presses charges against Cal. He left Patrick in the car to die, he drugged him, he stole his wallet and phone and money. Patrick KNOWS who did all that, he KNOWS where Cal lives and that he deals. If Patrick can’t go to the police because he doesn’t want to go back to his father, fine. But that Whiskey or even his father don’t go to the police. You could even make an anonymous call. That the police doesn't even try to find out why the car landed in the river (or that it is not mentioned). Doesn't anybody find that strange? A rich man's son drives his car into the water, the father says he is missing, is half persuaded he got kidnapped, and then just calls in and tells the cops everthing is fine? I don’t get it. But okay, they needed Cal in the end for the drug planting thing. I just can’t imagine that this whole “We grow weet on Patricks father’s property” really would work for such a long time and without anyone being the wiser. And how come that Whiskey knows how to deactivate a bomb? It tasted a lot like Hollywood to me and I couldn’t take it seriously.
What I liked was the slow pace in the relationship between Patrick and Whiskey. It was not the usual “see, like, fuck” situation although I think there was too much emphasis on Whiskeys thoughts about wanting to have sex with Patrick and how he can barely resist. Still I liked the sweet way Whiskey made it clear that he is not like all the ex-boyfriends who just wanted to get off and how he supported Patrick in small matters (e.g. the shopping list) and showed him that it is okay to do things wrong or (to quote Patrick) fuck them up. It was fun to read when Patrick talked himself into a frenzy when he didn’t take his pills or the effects wore off (maybe that’s a little mean of me) because you really got a nice impression of his thinking pattern and how difficult it can be when your brain just is not working like it is supposed to do.
The best about the story, although I can’t tell you why, were the messages Patrick , Whiskey and Shawn send each other during Whiskeys time at the North Pole. For me they really described the essence of their relationship. They were short, funny and caring. That was really sweet.
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Dec 22, 2011 Nichole (Dirty H) marked it as abandoned · review of another edition

I got through about 1/3 of this before deciding I was done. Not just with the book, but with Amy Lane.

This book isn't bad, per se, and I'm clearly in the minority here. Most of my friends gave this book 4 or 5 stars. But I'm just exhausted by Amy Lane's writing style. I have enjoyed books by her in the past, but it's been awhile. It's like rather than creating well-rounded, enjoyable characters, Amy creates two-dimensional characters and then spends the book banging a hammer on the reader's head...more

7 likes · like · see review

Oct 21, 2011 Dee Wy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m, m-m-contemporary, disability-illness

Having read quite a few Amy Lane books, I can tell you that this capable writer seldom does "hot hunks" as characters. Patrick and Whiskey are both flawed, and neither are exactly hunks, just reasonably good-looking guys who will charm their way into your heart. I know these characters will live in my memory indefinitely.

Patrick is handicapped with ADHD. His symptoms for a 24-year-old are rather extreme, especially when he's not taking his meds. Just the same, I recognized many of his problems h...more

4 likes · like · see review

May 18, 2013 Sandra rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m

5 Amazing Beautiful and Funny Stars. Patrick is a Spaz and I loved everything about him. And OMG what can I say about Whiskey the man has heart depth patience and love Soo much love! The way he was with Patrick always caring showing and just being there was brilliant. Fly bait her attitude her mouth perfect mix with these characters. The story and how it came together just flowed I loved it, I love Amy Lane and want more more more!

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 18, 2013 Aimee rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, humor, age-difference, disability-or-illness, mystery-crime, smiles-all-around

Patrick is such an absolutely frickin adorable spaz! Patient, dependable Whiskey is just exactly who he needs in his life. I smiled and giggled and had so many awwww moments while reading this that I've never felt so much like a girl. And oh, that wonderfully sarcastic Fly Bait, weird ass laugh and all, is probably the only female character in the history of m/m romance that I absolutely loved as much as the MCs. This book just left me smiling like an idiot when I was done. x) Another addition t...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jan 19, 2013 Lightreads rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: disability, fiction, romance, lgbt

Basically I climbed into a psychological hole towards the end of this week and pulled this book in on top of me. For those purposes, it was great. Twenty three year old party boy with ADHD is trying to get his life together when everything goes to hell in one night, and he basically falls into the lap of a biologist studying toxic effects on frogs. There's this half-hearted afterplot about the pollution and an ex and blah blah blah, but honestly 75% of this book is just taking two guys and stick...more

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Jan 18, 2013 Ayanna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, favorites, future-rereads, non-pulpy, aaaaaawwww, be-still-my-heart

Okay, I read this book a little earlier but forgot to add it. Let me see if I can recreate my reaction.

OH MY GOD. THIS BOOK. THIS BOOK IS BEAUTIFUL. ABSOLUTELY AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL. Oh, Patrick. How you tug at my metaphysical heartstrings...
Patrick, the adorable bunny-cum-frog...

Actually, this is an interesting book in that I actually liked all of the characters. There wasn't one I hated because of shitty writing.

There was a plot-thing that was interesting-ish, but I don't really know because I w...more

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Nov 12, 2012 Ronna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m

Whenever I am not sure what to read next, I always go to the Amy Lane well and know whatever I read will be amazing. The funny part is, many times I read the summaries and I'm just not sure where she is going with the story. Clear Water is a perfect example of this. The premise is that a spazzy, party boy meets up with a field biologist, and they then forge a meaningful relationship among frogs on a tacky houseboat. What?? Bottom line and lesson learned - never question the genius of Amy Lane.

T...more Whenever I am not sure what to read next, I always go to the Amy Lane well and know whatever I read will be amazing. The funny part is, many times I read the summaries and I'm just not sure where she is going with the story. Clear Water is a perfect example of this. The premise is that a spazzy, party boy meets up with a field biologist, and they then forge a meaningful relationship among frogs on a tacky houseboat. What?? Bottom line and lesson learned - never question the genius of Amy Lane.

Truly loved this sweet story! Patrick is a wonderful person, but he has ADHD and is continuously misunderstood. Instead of recognizing his challenges, he is viewed as an irresponsible, freeloading spaz. Patrick tries to be responsible. He tries to take his medicine to keep his quirks and brain in check, succeed with school and make something of his life, but it’s hard when its just him. Sometimes he forgets his medicine or it simply runs out. Some, like his dad, suggest it’s just a crutch, but Patrick knows that’s not the case. He is abandoned by his mother, who ran off with her personal trainer, and ignored and under appreciated by his father. As a result, he has very low self-esteem, and believes all the terrible things people say about him. He is also gay and easily manipulated since he is so desperate to be loved. After his latest user of a boyfriend, Cal, a drug dealer no less, realizes that Patrick wants to cut ties with his father and his wealth, Cal decides to take matters into his own hands. This ends with a car accident and Patrick's subsequent rescue by Whiskey (Wesley Keenan).

Whiskey is a field biologist, jumping from project to project, and has recently realized that he hasn’t had a real home in over 15 years. He is ready to put down some roots on the very river he is sitting by. He is contemplating this very thought when he witnesses a car barreling through a roadside barrier and landing in the river. He sees the driver get out and run, but the passenger is trapped inside and the car is sinking fast. Whiskey is able to save the passenger, and is immediately smitten with the young and gentle man he finds, who clearly needs saving and not just from the car wreck.

Patrick is overwhelmed by the fact he has screwed up again, but he wants to fix things. Whiskey immediately identifies Patrick’s ADHD issues, is incredibly patient and wants to help him. His kindness makes Patrick want to stay, and the truths that Whiskey and his partner Fly Bait (Freya) quickly learn about Patrick that led him there quickly endear him to them, and they want him to stay, too.

In typical Amy Lane style, the relationships that develop between the characters, these men in particular is natural and not rushed. It feels genuine, and is both heart-warming and heart-wrenching. I laughed a lot and was nearly brought to tears in a few places. Whiskey helping Patrick build his self-esteem and get his life back on track, and Patrick helping Whiskey find a home was incredibly fulfilling. The way they were able to complete each other was especially sweet for me. I also loved the role that Freya played as a big sister and friend, and especially enjoyed how Patrick’s dad was able to eventually get it together. As in all Amy Lane books, there is great character development and dialogue exchange. There is even an interesting story line with regard to the field assignment that Whiskey and Fly Bait are engaged in and Patrick’s dad’s business. This was an easy, quick read that was difficult to put down. I truly enjoyed every minute of it! I highly recommend this book to m/m romance fans!

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Oct 17, 2012 Helyce rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m-contemporary

I love Amy Lane. This was a great story of a young man who is struggling with ADHD. Scattered and unfocused, he's made poor choices and hooked up with a gaggle of wrong guys. On the evening of the day that he takes the first step at getting his life together by telling his dad that he is gay and to stop living off his dad's money,his boyfriend at the time drives them off the road and into the Delta. Lucky for Patrick, Whiskey couldn't sleep that night and saw the car go in.

After he meets Whiskey...more

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Aug 03, 2012 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars

There are books on my shelf (mainly ones I read years ago that I was scoring by memory) that should count themselves very lucky they received 5 stars before I started scoring as I read because books like this one which is *truly* a 5 star read would have knocked a star or so off of them.

While there's some "bad guy" stuff in this book, the MCs spend 6 months apart (though only a chapter or so in book-time), and they don't even have sex until halfway in, it's mostly just one great love story. Ther...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Bibliojunkies added it

It’s no secret that Bel and I are total Amy Lane fangirls. It all started earlier this year when Bel read Chase in Shadow then sent me numerous texts about how intense it is. So I read it and I instantly fell in love. Since then I have read 11 Amy Lane books. In all of that reading I have found that Amy is known for her angst filled stories. But sometimes she surprises us with a sweet happy romance. Clear Water is one of those surprises.

I don’t even know where to begin so I will just start with...more It’s no secret that Bel and I are total Amy Lane fangirls. It all started earlier this year when Bel read Chase in Shadow then sent me numerous texts about how intense it is. So I read it and I instantly fell in love. Since then I have read 11 Amy Lane books. In all of that reading I have found that Amy is known for her angst filled stories. But sometimes she surprises us with a sweet happy romance. Clear Water is one of those surprises.

I don’t even know where to begin so I will just start with the cover. Yum! It contains some of my favorite things when it comes to boys: lean build, bare chest, ripped jeans and a beach. Had I seen this book on the shelf at the store I would have bought it based on the cover alone. Fortunately what is inside is just as wonderful.

Amy‘s biggest strength is creating characters that we care about and giving them a voice that makes them vividly 3-dimensional. Patrick is no exception. His character practically leaps off the page and right into your lap….hmmm, now that is visual I am perfectly okay with. Patrick won my heart almost immediately.

Patrick is the only son of a wealthy businessman. He has had everything he could want given to him - everything except his father’s approval. Patrick’s dad thinks Patrick is a screw up. What he sees is a young man that couldn’t finish school and changes career plans on a weekly basis. A boy that can’t commit to anything. What he refuses to understand is that Patrick has ADD. Patrick’s dad has been telling Patrick for years that he doesn’t need his ADD meds. That he just needs to apply himself and then he will be successful. You learn all of this in the first chapter and it is the perfect set up to understand Patrick’s insecurities and lack of self confidence.

Then we meet Whiskey – research scientist and all around hottie. When he rescues Patrick from a sinking car, his world is turned upside down. Somehow Patrick has convinced him and his research partner, Flybait, to let him stay with them and help with both the boat and the research project. Which means Whiskey ends up sharing a bunk with Patrick. And that turns out to be frustrating and embarrassing for Whiskey but highly amusing and entertaining for the reader. What’s not to love about that, right?

Whiskey becomes Patrick’s biggest champion as Patrick slowly develops the self-confidence and focus he has been missing in his life. And of course the chemistry between them grows every day that Patrick is on the boat. But this story isn’t just about the romance. There is a mystery too. A mystery that, in the end, brings Patrick and his father back together with a better understanding of one another.

I love all of the Amy Lane books I have read so it’s no surprise that I enjoyed this one so much. Clear Water is a fun, sweet read that will leave you smiling from start to finish. If you are a fan of gay romance, I definitely recommend this one.

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Mar 18, 2012 Cindi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, m-m, favorites, amy-lane

This is by far one of the best books I have read in a very long time. I totally fell in love with Patrick the minute he was introduced. I love everything about him. As an adult with ADHD, I relate to a lot of what he did. I had a lot of "That's me!" and "Oh God, I do that!" moments. I have read several books where one of the characters is a child with ADHD, but never with one as an adult. It was very refreshing and the author wrote it well. Patrick may be a fictional character, but the way he is...more

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Oct 09, 2011 Kerry sullivan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: gay-fiction, romance

This book was reviewed for Musings of a bookworm

The synopsis
Meet Patrick Cleary: party boy, loser, and spaz. Patrick's been trying desperately to transform himself, and the results have been so spectacular, they've almost killed him. Meet Wes "Whiskey" Keenan: he's a field biologist wondering if it's time to settle down. When the worst day of Patrick's life ends with Whiskey saving it, Patrick and Whiskey find themselves sharing company and an impossibly small berth on the world's tackiest house...more

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Oct 09, 2011 Tammy rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is such a great book. Patrick has ADHD and people around him keep tellling him he's useless and discourage his use of Ritalin. Patrick thinks he is worthless and because of this has gotten involved with some real losers. His last loser boyfriend drugged him and drove Patrick's car off the road and into a river. Luckily for Partick, Whiskey, a biologist working on the river, sees the accident and saves him. Whiskey takes Patrick back to his houseboat/research vessel and starts taking care of...more

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Sep 29, 2011 Sylvie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, romance-contemporary

Nice, relaxing read. 3.5 rounded up to 4.

I'm so glad I read the rec from Ami because otherwise, I would not have read this book. I have read Amy Lane's books before, but I just never got into them. The previous books I tried gave me an overall sense of forced intensity between the characters that just doesn't ring true to me.

This one, with the characters being more adaptive to the world around them, seemed more organic. The way I see it is this - I don't need too much dramatics in the character...more

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Sep 22, 2011 Kaje Harper rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, comfort-reread, favorites

Amy Lane has the most amazing ability to make me fall in love with her characters. This book was no exception; Patrick and Whiskey are wonderful men with their own quirks overlying the bedrock of their integrity. This book was written with a slightly lighter emotional touch than some others of Lane's. The events in here were certainly sufficiently dramatic to lend themselves to emotional angst, but Lane chose not to go there to her usual extent. The result is a fun, sweet, enormously readable bo...more

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Sep 20, 2011 Kate McMurray rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, romance

Well, count me as an Amy Lane fan now. This is the second of her books that I've read that I thoroughly enjoyed. This one features a young man who is treated as a fuck up by his father because he flits around and can't commit to doing any one thing for very long. Patrick is maaaybe a little too perfect, because he's a good kid with a short attention span, basically, and he's a real force when he's properly medicated, so it's a bit of a head scratcher when you start wondering exactly why his fath...more

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Sep 15, 2011 Tam rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m

Patrick is a bit of a rich boy with no real purpose. He lives off his Dad's money, ends up with bad boyfriends and generally floats along with his father's disdain. He finally decides to start taking Ritalin again and go back to school and tell his Dad he's gay. However when the boyfriend finds out the gravy train is stopping, he nearly kills Patrick in a car accident and he's rescued by Whiskey, a biology researcher doing research on pollutants in the river causing mutant frogs with his lesbian...more

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Sep 05, 2011 Grammy 1 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow, I just finished my review with the Paranormal Romance Guilds Dual Review Team, of Amy Lanes August release of A Solid Core of Alpha and here I am in September doing a solo review for her newest release Clearwater. What are the
odds ????

Reading this newest story, my first thought was I found a human Whim...Do you remember Lithia’s Constant Whim? A novella from the world of the Little Goddess series?. Whim is described by the author As Constant as a bumblebee in a hurricane and as faithful as...more Wow, I just finished my review with the Paranormal Romance Guilds Dual Review Team, of Amy Lanes August release of A Solid Core of Alpha and here I am in September doing a solo review for her newest release Clearwater. What are the
odds ????

Reading this newest story, my first thought was I found a human Whim...Do you remember Lithia’s Constant Whim? A novella from the world of the Little Goddess series?. Whim is described by the author As Constant as a bumblebee in a hurricane and as faithful as a stray breeze. Enter Patrick Cleary.

We are taught through Amy Lanes eyes what ADHD is, and how it affects the minds of people who are afflicted with it. But, we are taught in the only way Amy Lane knows, through love, family and heart.

We meet Patrick Cleary who has decided he is a mess. He has been advantaged financially all his life, living off a rich Daddy, having the ‘best of everything’ and not being honest with his father or himself. When that day finally arrives, will anyone take him seriously?

Wesley ‘Whiskey’ Keenen, is a biologist, living on the dirtiest, tackiest houseboat in the middle of a delta swamp. He is there with fellow biologist and friend Freya nicknamed Fly Bait, running tests on mutant frogs. He sees a car careening off a bridge one evening, as he sits out side looking at the stars.. He watches in horrer as the driver swims away leaving the unconscious passenger to die. Whiskey pulls the passenger out and saves his life. This is their story.

Again Amy Lane has yet again detoured from her accustomed path and has not only written a wonderful love story of patience and trust, but she has entwined all of it adding a good mystery whodunit. Whiskey is as sexy as his name sounds. He brings such strength into the growing relationship, you cannot help but love him.

Patrick thinks himself a giant screw up, there is not a moment where he is not falling or bunking himself...a giant Klutz. But as Whiskey watches this slip of a man, he ‘gets it’. He sees more control when Patrick takes his meds . They grow into a friendship that could lead to more. Patrick does not want to leave the houseboat, he does not want to contact his father Shawn. He has found something here and loves helping with the frogs he has befriended and even named.
I loved how we see Patrick grow, and then we get into the findings of the pollution in the swamps which leads us to the bigger mysteries. Again the story was paced beautifully, the character ensemble was great...With Amy stories, as always the good are good and the bad are truly evil. I loved it when Patrick with some prodding from Whiskey can find his true beauty within. Totally a fun read

Review by Gloria Lakritz
Senior Reviewer and Review Chairperson for the Paranormal Romance Guild
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Sep 04, 2011 Mackenzie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Here's the deal: I know some people who've been diagnosed with ADHD in the history of my acquaintanceship. When I was young, a good friend of mine from school had to transfer out to a special school because he got bullied in our school and was branded a "useless spaz" by the teachers. I spent a few months feeling sorry for him until my mom told me that he'd been diagnosed with ADHD but that he was doing better in that special school. When I was even younger, my cousin was suspected of 'suffering...more Here's the deal: I know some people who've been diagnosed with ADHD in the history of my acquaintanceship. When I was young, a good friend of mine from school had to transfer out to a special school because he got bullied in our school and was branded a "useless spaz" by the teachers. I spent a few months feeling sorry for him until my mom told me that he'd been diagnosed with ADHD but that he was doing better in that special school. When I was even younger, my cousin was suspected of 'suffering' from ADHD, too, although this didn't turn out to be the case. So I'm very sympathetic to people with this condition because I know how hard their lives can be without medication and proper help from the people around them.

That's why when I read the first page of this Amy Lane book and met Patrick, or Trix, it really felt like I was meeting my old friend who transferred out of school. It was eerie, I tell you, and also delightful. Amy Lane is a good writer and I have faith in her ability to flesh out the stories, but never before have I 'met' a character of hers that really struck a chord in me within the first three pages of the book. I don't think, without Patrick, this book would've captivated me so thoroughly and made me fall in love with it once I finished reading it.

I have to admit I don't find anything special from Whiskey or Fly Bit - or should I say, Wesley and Freya - and they could be interchangeable with any other character, but Patrick is truly indispensable. Without him, I don't think Whiskey or Fly Bit would be as lovely as they come across in the story. This is in no way a criticism against the author; I don't think Ms. Lane needs to have an equally unique character to match Patrick's awesomeness because Patrick alone is already such a winner and can carry the book by himself. However, it's difficult for me to adore Whiskey and Fly Bit, especially the latter, as much as I adore Patrick. He literally outshone any character in the story.

Then again, Whiskey does complement Patrick quite nicely. If every person who has ADHD can receive the love and support that Patrick got from Whiskey, this world would be a better place. Frankly, I don't think the age thing would be an issue (35 and 23 is not exactly 60 and 21 so this is nothing to be squicked out about) and I love the age difference between them because, even if Whiskey is worried about feeling too old for the youthful Patrick, I doubt that anyone younger than 30 would have the emotional maturity to deal with Patrick's issues. So this couple paints a very nice picture and we can take comfort that, at least, in the world of fiction, there are decent people about that can give us a positive example.

Of course there are major douchebag bastards as well. In my experiences reading Amy Lane's works, I've never encountered a character as loathsome as Cal - the ex-boyfriend who used Patrick and abandoned him. But this works for me, too, because as a result of the existence of this vile character, the thrill and adventure factor of this story is amplified.

Without Cal's appearance and his role in making Patrick's life horrible, the story would've been 220 or so pages of a regular been-there-done-that-seen-it-all-before love story between two men (one who is full-on gay and the other who is bisexual; seriously, read Bewitched By Bella's Brother. It's impossible to miss this repetition of character traits!) But with Cal being there, wreaking all sorts of havoc in Patrick and Whiskey's lives, jobs and relationship, the story doesn't become a run-of-the-mill love story of two people getting together. It becomes a ridiculously entertaining one and adds an edge to counter the utter saccharine sweetness of the story.

In the end, even if you don't have a direct, personal experience with ADHD in real life, you can still enjoy the book. Like I said, Patrick is charming enough to be anyone's favorite character and the love story he has with Whiskey is truly wonderful. There's a bit of science, a dash of mystery, a lot of action, and some lovely sexy times here that should make Clear Water a well-rounded crowd pleaser. For me, this book totally made my Sunday.(less)

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Romance Readers R...: April M/M Buddy Read: Clear Water	23	24	Apr 24, 2012 08:36pm
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About Amy Lane

Amy Lane dodges an EDJ, mothers four children, and writes the occasional book. She, her brood, and her beloved mate, Mack, live in a crumbling mortgage in Citrus Heights, California, which is riddled with spiders, cats, and more than its share of fancy and weirdness. Feel free to visit her at www.greenshill.com orwww.writerslane.blogspot.com, where she will ride the buzz of receiving your e-mail u...more

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Quotes from Clear Water

“He just cleaned the bathroom.”
“So?”
“I’ve been sending samples into the lab when I got bored. They are as of yet unidentified. It never occurred to me to clean the damned thing."
Whiskey sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I know, I know, I know—you don’t want to get blood all over it now that it’s clean.” — 7 people liked it

“Whiskey to himself "God,
please let this kid be legal, just to make that whole wood thing less disgusting” — 5 people liked it

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