92nd out of 399 books
—
856 voters
If It Ain't Love
by
Tamara Allen (Goodreads Author)
In the darkest days of the Great Depression, New York Times reporter Whit Stoddard has lost the heart to do his job and lives a lonely hand-to-mouth existence with little hope of recovery, until he meets Peter, a man in even greater need of new hope.
ebook, Free Edition, 34 pages
Published
August 25th 2011
by Tamara Allen
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4.5, great little m/m romance story set in depression era Manhattan. Loved the writing voice, an author to watch.
This was a quick read at roughly 30-40 pages, but it packed quite a story. I devoured this one and really felt the chemistry and love bloom between the two leads. I especially enjoyed the setting of the Great Depression. The author did a great job of painting the background and made you feel like you are right there. I recommend it to all who enjoy romance, not just the M/M stuff. Thi...more
This was a quick read at roughly 30-40 pages, but it packed quite a story. I devoured this one and really felt the chemistry and love bloom between the two leads. I especially enjoyed the setting of the Great Depression. The author did a great job of painting the background and made you feel like you are right there. I recommend it to all who enjoy romance, not just the M/M stuff. Thi...more
It went like this:
I was staring at the lovely cover, and wondering why the designer did x instead of y, and basically wishing that I'd made it, and wondering if perhaps there were answers to my questions on the first page—but just a peek, you see, because I don't really have any time right now for anything—but of course the next thing I know I'm in Depressed New York feeling this crazy compulsion to read on, because measured prose filled with compassion and wit and clever little details will do...more
I was staring at the lovely cover, and wondering why the designer did x instead of y, and basically wishing that I'd made it, and wondering if perhaps there were answers to my questions on the first page—but just a peek, you see, because I don't really have any time right now for anything—but of course the next thing I know I'm in Depressed New York feeling this crazy compulsion to read on, because measured prose filled with compassion and wit and clever little details will do...more
This is really lovely, I just really feel like it should be longer and the characters more fleshed out.
I kinda feel bad for the protagonist when he's just being nice and people think really bad of him.
The story is just so sweet and hopeful in the midst of The Great Depression.
I kinda feel bad for the protagonist when he's just being nice and people think really bad of him.
The story is just so sweet and hopeful in the midst of The Great Depression.
Other reviewers have pointed out much that is relevant to a story which might be short (40 pages?) but is deeply satisfying, and yet they failed to point out what I deem to be its greatest charm.
Set in a gloomy New York in the thirties, it does not exactly avoid the bleakness of that times but it sort of skips over it. The most unsavoury facets of those harsh years are just hinted at, as if in passing. When Peter and Whit meet in a squallid dosshouse, Ms Allen choses not linger on the poor surro...more
Set in a gloomy New York in the thirties, it does not exactly avoid the bleakness of that times but it sort of skips over it. The most unsavoury facets of those harsh years are just hinted at, as if in passing. When Peter and Whit meet in a squallid dosshouse, Ms Allen choses not linger on the poor surro...more
Jan 07, 2012
Nicci
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical,
m-m-romance
Review originally posted at http://twlibreviews.com
Whit Stoddard, a Times reporter is one of the lucky ones in that he has a small resource. When I read how the editor loan him $5.00 and then later $1.00, I was shocked at the dollar amount. Who can lives off such paltry figures? I realized I’m reading a story about the depression era.
“Whit smoothed the crumpled bill, folded it, then eased it securely into his vest pocket. Some of the dollar would have to be spared for a bed. He wasn't sleeping i...more
Whit Stoddard, a Times reporter is one of the lucky ones in that he has a small resource. When I read how the editor loan him $5.00 and then later $1.00, I was shocked at the dollar amount. Who can lives off such paltry figures? I realized I’m reading a story about the depression era.
“Whit smoothed the crumpled bill, folded it, then eased it securely into his vest pocket. Some of the dollar would have to be spared for a bed. He wasn't sleeping i...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Sep 10, 2011
Dumbledore11214
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
male-male-historical-romance,
gay-romance
This is one of those reviews where I have to start with a warning. Tamara Allen is one of those writers from whom I will buy books as soon as I see her name on the cover, so you may want to seek out more critical reviews if you would like to see a more balanced picture. However I can tell you this is a wonderful short story and since it is free, you have nothing to lose by trying it!
I have read and loved all three novels she has written, but I actually was a little worried despite the fact that...more
I have read and loved all three novels she has written, but I actually was a little worried despite the fact that...more
This review can also be found at Brief Encounters Reviews.
Sometimes Twitter can be a marvellous thing. If the author hadn’t flagged up on Twitter that she’d published this short at ARe, I would have missed this absolute gem completely. The story is set during The Great Depression of the 1930′s in New York and follows Whit who, unlike many men, has a job. He’s a freelance reporter for the NY Times but has lost his heart for journalism in the face of all the horrors he sees daily. After borrowing...more
Sometimes Twitter can be a marvellous thing. If the author hadn’t flagged up on Twitter that she’d published this short at ARe, I would have missed this absolute gem completely. The story is set during The Great Depression of the 1930′s in New York and follows Whit who, unlike many men, has a job. He’s a freelance reporter for the NY Times but has lost his heart for journalism in the face of all the horrors he sees daily. After borrowing...more
Set against the backdrop of the Great Depression, that powerful equalizer of men which toppled many an ivory tower, bringing prosperous men low and poor men lower, If It Ain’t Love is a story of hope and the promise of love found amongst the debris left behind in the wake of the country’s financial collapse.
In a time when a very fortunate man was one who could claim two coins to rub together, Whit Stoddard and Peter Dorington are men who come together from very different walks of life. Like man...more
In a time when a very fortunate man was one who could claim two coins to rub together, Whit Stoddard and Peter Dorington are men who come together from very different walks of life. Like man...more
What a fabulous voice Tamara Allen has! I was caught up and swept away by this little gem. I smiled, I cried, I "awwwwwww'd". The author took me back to a time older relatives had told me about, let me see the despair, the sorrow and, eventually, the hope. She created two men from two different backgrounds, and leveled the playing field with hard times. Would Peter and Whit have crossed paths in a saner world? Maybe, but it took a shared night in a flophouse to bring them together. They're good...more
An ARe Cafe top pick for October, 2011.
If It Ain’t Love by Tamara Allen (18,000 words) unfolds within the third-person viewpoint of Whit, a journalist for the New York Times during the darkest days of the Great Depression. Now homeless, Whit can no longer bring himself to care about his career in the midst of such worldwide catastrophe. When he spends the night at a flophouse, he meets a well-dressed man who looks too refined to be there. Mutual attraction leads to sex, friendship, and possibly...more
If It Ain’t Love by Tamara Allen (18,000 words) unfolds within the third-person viewpoint of Whit, a journalist for the New York Times during the darkest days of the Great Depression. Now homeless, Whit can no longer bring himself to care about his career in the midst of such worldwide catastrophe. When he spends the night at a flophouse, he meets a well-dressed man who looks too refined to be there. Mutual attraction leads to sex, friendship, and possibly...more
I also just finished
by Tamara Allen and to be honest this is not a book I will be sad to delete from my Kindle. I admit I usually like some m/m books but, this was too short for my taste. Had to much depression..I know I know don't shoot me I know it was about the Great Depression but, It was too much like a story I have read before in the past and way tooo short. I will give it 2 stars for the story but, to me it needed more. I will definitely check out the author though because I did like h...more
by Tamara Allen and to be honest this is not a book I will be sad to delete from my Kindle. I admit I usually like some m/m books but, this was too short for my taste. Had to much depression..I know I know don't shoot me I know it was about the Great Depression but, It was too much like a story I have read before in the past and way tooo short. I will give it 2 stars for the story but, to me it needed more. I will definitely check out the author though because I did like h...more
I'm such a fan of Tamara Allen's.
I typically don't read historicals. But, I wanted to give this a shot since her writing is so beautiful and I loved "Downtime". What a treat.
Whit and Peter meet during the Depression...and frankly...it's depressing. They find, after already forging a bond, that their paths cross in other surprising ways. I really liked the storyline. I think it would have been so much more satisfying, however, if it was a longer book and dove deeper into the topics introduced h...more
A sweet, poignant and tender tale set during the depression. Two men brought together by circumstances beyond their control they forge a friendship that turns to romance but outside influences threaten their bond and one of them has to look at himself and his actions to put it right. More story than actual sex, although there are some tender but not overly graphic love scenes . It's beautifully written , so I'll definitely be checking out more of Tamara Allens books. A very satisfying free short...more
4.5 rounded up. Very good story about 2 guys who find each other durring the depression. I enjoy historicals and the writing was quite good, while the sex was very restrained, so this was just my sort of thing.
Two caveats.
Other than the Depression NY setting, I didn't really feel like there was anything magically "special" here. My five star books/stories often feel to me like they have a special something in terms of content that sets them apart from the run of the mill stories in their genre...more
Two caveats.
Other than the Depression NY setting, I didn't really feel like there was anything magically "special" here. My five star books/stories often feel to me like they have a special something in terms of content that sets them apart from the run of the mill stories in their genre...more
Tamara Allen weaves a wonderful tapestry of time and place in this gentle, historical romance between Whit, a newspaper reporter and Peter, a mysterious toff he meets up with one night.
Set in the Great Depression when so many were out of work and jobs were scarce, Whit is on his last dollar and trying to keep things together. Familiar times, familiar sentiments. In those days a dollar could buy you dinner and a bed for the night in a flophouse...and maybe find you some desperately needed good lu...more
Set in the Great Depression when so many were out of work and jobs were scarce, Whit is on his last dollar and trying to keep things together. Familiar times, familiar sentiments. In those days a dollar could buy you dinner and a bed for the night in a flophouse...and maybe find you some desperately needed good lu...more
I am not typically a fan of historical stories so I already know that is part of my bias. It wasn't one of my favorite stories but it was really well written. Peter and Whit are two characters that I found myself rooting for. They deserved a happy ending and deserve to be happy together. The only thing that bothered me is how open they seemed to be together for it occurring during the Great Depression. There seemed to be no questions around them being together all the time or living together--wh...more
4.5 stars
Strong writing conveyed both the bleakness of the era and the hope that makes it all worthwhile. Whit and Peter managed to find each other in a time when most could barely find the will to get up in the morning. I'd say it's a diamond in the rough, but there is no rough. This is a shining example of the kind of impact a short story can (and should) have when crafted by a talented writer who effortlessly infuses the whole thing with such heart.
Strong writing conveyed both the bleakness of the era and the hope that makes it all worthwhile. Whit and Peter managed to find each other in a time when most could barely find the will to get up in the morning. I'd say it's a diamond in the rough, but there is no rough. This is a shining example of the kind of impact a short story can (and should) have when crafted by a talented writer who effortlessly infuses the whole thing with such heart.
Charming, short book about 2 men meeting in Depression era New York, and rescuing each other. Sad, tender feelings permeate the story, about opportunities lost and perhaps never regained... but that discovering love can really help. Lovely sentences -
"Sunny days," he said with a laugh, "You didn't hear? Those are over. Done. Settle in and enjoy the rain."
Well, by the end Whit and Peter have found a way to enjoy the rain...
"Sunny days," he said with a laugh, "You didn't hear? Those are over. Done. Settle in and enjoy the rain."
Well, by the end Whit and Peter have found a way to enjoy the rain...
It takes a remarkable author to pack such a moving story into 40-some pages. I felt the bleakness and hopelessness these characters were experiencing during The Great Depression.
But in the midst of society's greyness, a sweet connection and romance blooms for Whit and Peter. By the story's end, I felt their hope.
This is so well written and beautiful. And FREE from Amazon and Smashwords...do yourself a favor...go read this!!
But in the midst of society's greyness, a sweet connection and romance blooms for Whit and Peter. By the story's end, I felt their hope.
This is so well written and beautiful. And FREE from Amazon and Smashwords...do yourself a favor...go read this!!
A beautiful, heart-warming relationship-based story between 2 young men during the depression. It was positively amazing, and I couldn't put it down. I loved Peter and Whit! They were very endearing and sweet people. Although it's hard to read about people suffering during that time period, Allen did a phenomenal job tugging at our heart strings without depressing us. There were several happy moments that were well earned bringing a huge smile to my face. My first, but not my last, book by this...more
A short, beautifully written novella. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author. The cold, dreary setting of depression era New York is made bearable by the warmth of the well drawn characters. I hope the author will revisit some of the supporting characters in future stories. I felt as if I was making a very brief visit to a very interesting time and place. I want to go back for a much longer trip next time.
Reasonably cute short-story length m/m historical romance set in NYC during the Great Depression, between a reporter and a formerly-wealthy guy (who, naturally, has a heart of gold). I liked it well enough; I would have liked it more if it had been longer. But, hey, it was free, and I can't really complain too much about free gay romance, especially a historical one.
This is a wonderful, sweet, hopeful love story, set in the Depression when hope was hard to come by. The period details all ring true and the characters are very real. Short but a complete story, much heavier on the relationship development and plot than the sex, which is nice in a short. And it's free! (Thank-you Ms. Allen.) This is one I will reread.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Great short read . . .
Great MCs . . . Made me empathetic in such a short span
Loved the story line . . . finding unexpected love in such difficult difficult times
Sweet romance, nice plot twist
Great writing . . .really great writing!!
Off to find more from Ms. Allen!
Great MCs . . . Made me empathetic in such a short span
Loved the story line . . . finding unexpected love in such difficult difficult times
Sweet romance, nice plot twist
Great writing . . .really great writing!!
Off to find more from Ms. Allen!
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