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68th out of 165 books
—
272 voters
Lead Us Not (Love is Always Write)
by
Kate McMurray (Goodreads Author)
When Sam and Jess set out for New York City, they were young, deeply in love, and had big dreams for the future. Four difficult years later, some of those dreams are starting to come true—but at what cost?
Jess has stumbled into a fairly successful modeling career, but it feels like a consolation prize after his failed attempt at acting. He knows too his good looks will on...more
Jess has stumbled into a fairly successful modeling career, but it feels like a consolation prize after his failed attempt at acting. He knows too his good looks will on...more
ebook, 49 pages
Published
June 12th 2012
by M/M Romance Group @ goodreads
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Jess and Sam have been together for 8 years. Sam's career as theater actor is moving up, while Jess's modeling career is a little stale. So how do they fight the temptation that might end up breaking their relationship?
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I like established couple's story; that there is something after the supposedly HEA. Jess and Sam are fighting temptations that might break them up: Sam with his actor colleague, and Jess with his insecurity.
There is a 'will they won't they (act to the temptation)' sense s...more
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I like established couple's story; that there is something after the supposedly HEA. Jess and Sam are fighting temptations that might break them up: Sam with his actor colleague, and Jess with his insecurity.
There is a 'will they won't they (act to the temptation)' sense s...more
Life is not all rainbow. Couples are always tempted since everybody has a choice of staying with the current one or jumping into a new one when opportunity presents itself. It's all about what one considers important that prevents or pushes one to do something that one day he might regret.
I like this story. The characters realize that they're having a trouble that slowly crawling in. When they realize that there's a chance their lives and relationship are going to be disrupted, they talk to each...more
I like this story. The characters realize that they're having a trouble that slowly crawling in. When they realize that there's a chance their lives and relationship are going to be disrupted, they talk to each...more
Lovely story about an established couple, Jess and Sam, who live in New York City and work as a model and actor respectively. Sam is enjoying the success of a new role on Broadway while Jess continues to take modeling gigs, even though he's disenchanted with the job. The two men wade through their doubts and insecurities regarding their slowly disintegrating relationship and are occasionally tempted by others. However, through it all they always remember the immense love they share for one anoth...more
Put down whatever your currently reading and pick up this FREE Story!!
This story was amazing. Its my favorite of the LiAW so far (from the ones I've read).
This was simply a beautiful heartfelt story. It made me laugh and cry and smile. It had my gut clinching and at parts so nervous I started sweating. It's pretty rare for a story to affect me so much physically as well as emotionally. I couldn't put this story down it was a wonderful read.
My favorite part is that while it is short it feels li...more
This story was amazing. Its my favorite of the LiAW so far (from the ones I've read).
This was simply a beautiful heartfelt story. It made me laugh and cry and smile. It had my gut clinching and at parts so nervous I started sweating. It's pretty rare for a story to affect me so much physically as well as emotionally. I couldn't put this story down it was a wonderful read.
My favorite part is that while it is short it feels li...more
21 likes · like · see review
view all 8 comments
Lead Us Not by Kate McMurray centers on two young men who fear that the show business life is wearing them down and causing them to drift apart. They each get a first person perspective clearly organized into short sections labeled with each character’s name. The story could have been wearyingly clichéd. (How many times have we read about actors and models in New York City?) However, the sharp, vivid details make the guys’ jobs realistic. Sam doesn’t just vaguely triumph on Broadway. He gets his...more
”Tis one thing to be tempted…another thing to fall.” - William Shakespeare - Measure for Measure (Act II, Scene I)
Lead Us Not is a scary-tale. No, not in a things-that-go-bump-in-the-night kind of way, but in a life-seems-to-change-overnight kind of way. You meet the man of your dreams, fall in love, move to New York City to pursue your hopes of becoming actors, and the next thing you know, eight years after you met, a single bit of innuendo from a near total stranger has you questioning every l...more
Lead Us Not is a scary-tale. No, not in a things-that-go-bump-in-the-night kind of way, but in a life-seems-to-change-overnight kind of way. You meet the man of your dreams, fall in love, move to New York City to pursue your hopes of becoming actors, and the next thing you know, eight years after you met, a single bit of innuendo from a near total stranger has you questioning every l...more
3 likes · like · see review
Sometimes it's productive for love to hurt; it gives us perspective. It helps us remember why we fell in love in the first place and why, even though things become complicated, through all the temptations, we still love each other, and that love is a precious gift worth holding onto with all our might. Jess and Sam, in 'Lead Us Not' by Kate McMurray, are in the throes of such a battle.
I loved Jess and Sam. They are two of the most endearing characters I've ever encountered. They are so admirable...more
I loved Jess and Sam. They are two of the most endearing characters I've ever encountered. They are so admirable...more
I finished Lead Us Not. I didn't really connect with the characters. I found Jess too whiney and insecure and Sam too he's-just-the-most-perfect-perfect-person. Neither of them are perfect as they feel each other slipping away but steadfastly refuse to communicate. Of course, the sort of ennui they are suffering is a normal part of a long-term relationship. In that sense, this story is achingly realistic. Still, it isn't my usual cuppa for my escapism.
I say this is a 2-2.5 star read. I just did...more
I say this is a 2-2.5 star read. I just did...more
Dec 02, 2012
Bettye Kanady
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Bettye by:
Love is Always Write List
Shelves:
love-is-always-write,
finished
Lead Us Not; we have heard what comes after this..."into temptation..." But this book expounds on that very thought. The story is about Jess and Sam, an established couple who hooked up in college eight years ago. Both wanted to become actors so they left Ohio and moved to New York. Sam is described by Jess as "the guy everyone wants to be around. He just knew he would be famous." Jess is described by Sam as "pretty. He's 100% everything he looks for in a guy." The two of them clicked at a cast...more
I wanted to like this more than I did, truly, because it is an interesting premise about temptation and about yielding to it or not. The characters are eminently likeable, and the resolution is so sweet as to be almost barf-inducing.
That being said, however, the pacing is almost too fast for me. It jumps from Sam to Jess and back again in record time and that was dizzying, moreso since the story clocks in at under fifty pages. Speaking of Sam and Jess, if it weren't for the headings, I would hav...more
That being said, however, the pacing is almost too fast for me. It jumps from Sam to Jess and back again in record time and that was dizzying, moreso since the story clocks in at under fifty pages. Speaking of Sam and Jess, if it weren't for the headings, I would hav...more
Ms McMurray was able to make a short story feel complete. Not an easy feat, but as short as it was, I finished thinking I know how Jess and Sam's story will continue.
There is no major drama or conflict, it's just that after many years you do forget to take time for the little things that are really important, doubts creep in and you can grow apart. This story portraits this perfectly yet left me happy and smiling and so glad I read it!
It's free and great - definitely recommended !
ETA:
I must th...more
There is no major drama or conflict, it's just that after many years you do forget to take time for the little things that are really important, doubts creep in and you can grow apart. This story portraits this perfectly yet left me happy and smiling and so glad I read it!
It's free and great - definitely recommended !
ETA:
I must th...more
7 likes · like · see review
Sweet, non-explicit romance about two guys who went to the Big Apple in hope to become Broadway stars...only things didn't quite work out that way. One can only get modelling gigs while the other is slowly rising, but they're drifting apart.
Most of this story is in internal monologue, but it's extremely well done. We get to see their pasts and how they came to the place they are now. I'm especially fond of Jess. A lot of lookers like him would be egotistical, but he's a very sweet, insecure man....more
Most of this story is in internal monologue, but it's extremely well done. We get to see their pasts and how they came to the place they are now. I'm especially fond of Jess. A lot of lookers like him would be egotistical, but he's a very sweet, insecure man....more
2,5 stars.
I started to read this story because a reviewer said that there was "no cheating involved, physically or mentally". ...What a lie, really.
What do you call it then, (view spoiler)
Anyway, that's not even the motive I didn't like this story. =/
I started to read this story because a reviewer said that there was "no cheating involved, physically or mentally". ...What a lie, really.
What do you call it then, (view spoiler)
Anyway, that's not even the motive I didn't like this story. =/
4.5 stars
Thank you Kate for a story that touched a part of me that has been hidden for a while. My partner and I have been together for 32 years and yes, sometimes it does feel like we have been coming apart. That we take each other for granted and we don't know how to find out what is the problem. It takes courage to take the initiative and bare your soul--even to your life partner. And yes I know we love each other and will always be there for each other and that we trust each other. Good to b...more
Thank you Kate for a story that touched a part of me that has been hidden for a while. My partner and I have been together for 32 years and yes, sometimes it does feel like we have been coming apart. That we take each other for granted and we don't know how to find out what is the problem. It takes courage to take the initiative and bare your soul--even to your life partner. And yes I know we love each other and will always be there for each other and that we trust each other. Good to b...more
A beautifully done story about an already established couple that goes through a bout with some work and life challenges and begins to feel like things are slipping away from them. Lucky for them (and us), they are stronger than the odds and don’t let a good thing get thrown away. They realize that what they have is rare and beautiful and worth fighting for. I thoroughly enjoyed this one – it gave me a nice, warm, fuzzy feeling! :)
A nice story about Sam & Jess who find themselves drifting apart after 8 years of being together & how they find a way to reconnect with each other. I like how we learn about the two of them, their relationship & how there was a decent amount of communication that did not prolong the misunderstandings.
Sweet story about a couple who's been together long enough to start taking each other for granted and drift apart. They could have let the fear win, and ultimately break up. I loved that they actually talked to each other, admitted what they felt and wanted, and made it work again.
This the kind of book that makes you hungry for more. I hope one day the author turns this into a novel and tells Sam and Jess story IN DEPTH. The story of their love is very common and romantic at the same time. I just want to learn more and more about them. They are freaking adorable!
This is a great free short story that teaches us a very important lesson: never take anything for granted. You have to work for what is important because life is not a fairytale and you just don’t live happily ever after. You have to take care of you HEA.
Unexpectedly good...is the first thing that comes to mind to describe this short story. The author chose a refreshingly different way to switch back 'n forth between the MC's POVs such that i was with the guys every step of the way. Every single moment, me as a reader was "expecting" one of them to fall for the temptation the author so expertly sets up and then....ahhhh!
It's quite remarkable how "much" an author can pack in, in less than 50 pages! This is testament to the ingenuity of the autho...more
It's quite remarkable how "much" an author can pack in, in less than 50 pages! This is testament to the ingenuity of the autho...more
This short story had my emotions running high, fantastically written. I am extremely happy that it ended the way it did, with them staying true and talking things out. *Sappy sigh*
Very nice piece of free fiction. I adore established couple stories and the writing was very well done in showing how a couple can hit a funk. Luckily, these two fought through it. Well done.
Jul 13, 2012
Tamela
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
adult-fiction,
anthology,
contemporary,
mm-or-mmm,
performer,
recommended,
love-romance,
short-story
I liked how this was just REAL. A couple with every problems, job issues, career problems, and almost letting something slide away. But they caught it and saved it.
This story has the right amount of sweetness, it makes you smile and feel good.
I like this one. The story felt true and authentic of how couples could drift apart by life and works.
Sam finally realized what happened and determined to fix it.
Sam finally realized what happened and determined to fix it.
This was a beautiful, sweet, angsty, non-explictstory!
I'm usually don't like reading stories about established couples but I really enjoyed this. Plus it was FREE!!...more
I'm usually don't like reading stories about established couples but I really enjoyed this. Plus it was FREE!!...more
4 likes · like · see review
Wow!!! Loved this story. I really liked the characters, and the raw emotion I felt while reading through their issues. Very touching! Off to see what else this author has written.
2 likes · like · see review
Very cute story. I liked the change of point of views. Good characters.
A bit too sweet for my taste.
A bit too sweet for my taste.
Great story. Loved Sam and Jess. Thank you Kate McMurray, for donating your story, time and talent.
So cute! This was a really sweet little romance and another great addition to the LiAW event :)
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Kate McMurray is a nonfiction editor. Also, she is crafty (mostly knitting and sewing, but she also wields power tools), she plays the violin, and she dabbles in various other pursuits. She’s maybe a tiny bit obsessed with baseball. She lives in Brooklyn, NY, with a presumptuous cat.
More about Kate McMurray...
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