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Second Wind
Ben is a 32 year old accountant who's just been dumped from a nine year relationship with Paul. Paul is a 40 something year old who's midlife crisis includes a 22 year old to sleep with. Ben bought a beautiful 3 bedroom home in the suburbs after he was thrown out. Now bring in Joey, a 28 year old widower with an 20 month old son who's from a huge Catholic Italian family who's been having thoughts of other men for years. What you have is the start of a wonderful story where Ben and Joey have to overcome a lot of problems, including very homophobic brothers, a very Catholic mother and a host of other things to deal with. Will love conquer all? Read and find out.
550 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2005
15 people are currently reading
804 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
March 8, 2013
4.5 stars
There is definitely treasure to be found on various free online fiction sites, and this is one of them.
Ben, aged 32, has recently been dumped by his 40 year old partner, Paul, after being together for 10 years. Determined to start anew, he buys a house in suburbia, where he meets Joey, who comes to redesign his new, yet derelict, garden. Joey, 26, is the garden designer in his family-run Garden Nursery business and is the youngest in the family. Joey is also a single father of Connor, after losing his wife a year ago, shortly after she gave birth to Connor. Somehow sensing each other's loneliness and pain, Joey and Ben become friends, much to the disgust of the majority of Joey's large Italian family. Ben is openly gay, and Joey's family are devout practicing Catholics, who hold hard to the Church's stance on homosexuality. Joey, though, ignores his family's views, as he becomes more involved with Ben and finds himself coming out of his shroud of mourning. Slowly, the friendship between Ben and Joey develops into something more, and both men find themselves in a totally unexpected relationship: Ben never dreamed of becoming a father, and Joey never dreamed he would find love again.
This story moves at a slow yet steady pace, which perfectly suits the development of Ben and Joey's relationship. Much of the story revolves around the impact of their relationship on Joey's family, and how, in turn, Joey's family's reactions impact upon their future together. The characters, both main and supporting (of which there are many), are fully fleshed out, and seem very real. I can't say the story holds too many surprises, but it is a story full of depth and emotion. The only small issue I have, is that the end comes as a bit of a surprise. Not because it is a cliffhanger, but because I was expecting one thread to be explored just a little bit more (and that may just be my reaction). If you're looking for a plot-driven story that seems to hold true to life's dramas, then I would definitely suggest you take a look at this one.
There is definitely treasure to be found on various free online fiction sites, and this is one of them.
Ben, aged 32, has recently been dumped by his 40 year old partner, Paul, after being together for 10 years. Determined to start anew, he buys a house in suburbia, where he meets Joey, who comes to redesign his new, yet derelict, garden. Joey, 26, is the garden designer in his family-run Garden Nursery business and is the youngest in the family. Joey is also a single father of Connor, after losing his wife a year ago, shortly after she gave birth to Connor. Somehow sensing each other's loneliness and pain, Joey and Ben become friends, much to the disgust of the majority of Joey's large Italian family. Ben is openly gay, and Joey's family are devout practicing Catholics, who hold hard to the Church's stance on homosexuality. Joey, though, ignores his family's views, as he becomes more involved with Ben and finds himself coming out of his shroud of mourning. Slowly, the friendship between Ben and Joey develops into something more, and both men find themselves in a totally unexpected relationship: Ben never dreamed of becoming a father, and Joey never dreamed he would find love again.
This story moves at a slow yet steady pace, which perfectly suits the development of Ben and Joey's relationship. Much of the story revolves around the impact of their relationship on Joey's family, and how, in turn, Joey's family's reactions impact upon their future together. The characters, both main and supporting (of which there are many), are fully fleshed out, and seem very real. I can't say the story holds too many surprises, but it is a story full of depth and emotion. The only small issue I have, is that the end comes as a bit of a surprise. Not because it is a cliffhanger, but because I was expecting one thread to be explored just a little bit more (and that may just be my reaction). If you're looking for a plot-driven story that seems to hold true to life's dramas, then I would definitely suggest you take a look at this one.
April 7, 2011
Wow this was such a good story! I liked how the child was part of the relationship, not an accessory or an afterthought.
Coming from a big Spanish family i could so relate to the family dynamics presented in the book. The characters were very believable and many of the scenarios were very realistic. I appreciated that while it showed how family can come together when there is love, they also showed how that does not mean that their feelings and views have changed overnight, if at all.
I also enjoyed the secondary characters and reading about their relationship. It felt like a nice flow instead of taking over the main characters story. I find myself wishing there was more to this story and i look forward to reading more by this author, the writing was truly vivid for me.
Review to come soon!
Coming from a big Spanish family i could so relate to the family dynamics presented in the book. The characters were very believable and many of the scenarios were very realistic. I appreciated that while it showed how family can come together when there is love, they also showed how that does not mean that their feelings and views have changed overnight, if at all.
I also enjoyed the secondary characters and reading about their relationship. It felt like a nice flow instead of taking over the main characters story. I find myself wishing there was more to this story and i look forward to reading more by this author, the writing was truly vivid for me.
Review to come soon!
November 25, 2010
Ben is a bit insecure, very gay and overall amazing. Joey is new to everything involving the same equipment, but incredibly accepting and down to earth despite all the sh*t he has to go through to be happy.
I loved Ben's support and the happy feel with which he relaxed into the relationship despite his past. And I loved the way Joey just took it all in stride, being thankful for another chance in life and not intending to let it slip through his fingers.
It's a story about a big Italian family and a lot of closed off opinions that come with religion opposed to a few loving and accepting members with a completely different background. It really is a fun read, very emotional at times but completely adorable at others.
Definitely something I would recommend.
I loved Ben's support and the happy feel with which he relaxed into the relationship despite his past. And I loved the way Joey just took it all in stride, being thankful for another chance in life and not intending to let it slip through his fingers.
It's a story about a big Italian family and a lot of closed off opinions that come with religion opposed to a few loving and accepting members with a completely different background. It really is a fun read, very emotional at times but completely adorable at others.
Definitely something I would recommend.
May 29, 2012
Hmm, I guess, it's rather 2.5 stars -- but annoying and stilted dialogues make for a good reason not to round up...
Joey, a Catholic Italian widower with a baby boy, and Ben, an out and proud gay guy who has recently been dumped by his boyfriend/patrner of 10 years, meet and soon find themselves falling in love with each other.
But the desired HEA isn't achieved that easily, since people just keep placing obstacles in their path--mainly there is Joey's Catholic and mostly bigoted family, a family so close-knit that it's hard to understand that they refuse to at least tolerate or acknowledge the love both men feel for each other.
The story itself was nice, sweet, interesting and enjoyable. I liked both MCs just fine, although their dialogues and actions are, often enough, rather unbelievable, not really realistic and totally stilted.
The writing style is really bad, there's no sugarcoating it. The dialogues, as I already mentioned, are very stilted, not to say horrible. (It gets a little bit better towards the end, though).
Unfortunately, the author doesn't really know how to write/tell this story due to lack of talent or practice--or both.
On top of that, it's very annoying that the characters seem to feel a strong urge to constantly address each other by name. That really helps to make the dialogues more natural and less stilted (I'm being sarcastic here.).
"Do you have time for a beer, Joey?"
"Yeah, sure, Ben. I can't stay long but that would be nice."
He went in the house and brought out two bottles. (...) We both started talking at the same time, then stopped, then started again.
"You first, Ben. It's your house."
or
"You look a little uncertain, Ben. Why don't you get down on the floor and introduce yourself?"
"I don't know, Joey. I'm not good with kids. I don't have any experience with them."
"Connor's easy, Ben. He doesn't bite."
That definitely dampens the reading experience for me.
Maybe beta-reading could make it smoother.., maybe.
All in all, the plot itself wasn't half bad, I was able to enjoy it.
It is, however, rather one of the, .. erm.. not so good free stories that I've come across lately, because of the poor writing.
There are really some great and talented unpublished authors out there--that's not the case here.
Joey, a Catholic Italian widower with a baby boy, and Ben, an out and proud gay guy who has recently been dumped by his boyfriend/patrner of 10 years, meet and soon find themselves falling in love with each other.
But the desired HEA isn't achieved that easily, since people just keep placing obstacles in their path--mainly there is Joey's Catholic and mostly bigoted family, a family so close-knit that it's hard to understand that they refuse to at least tolerate or acknowledge the love both men feel for each other.
The story itself was nice, sweet, interesting and enjoyable. I liked both MCs just fine, although their dialogues and actions are, often enough, rather unbelievable, not really realistic and totally stilted.
The writing style is really bad, there's no sugarcoating it. The dialogues, as I already mentioned, are very stilted, not to say horrible. (It gets a little bit better towards the end, though).
Unfortunately, the author doesn't really know how to write/tell this story due to lack of talent or practice--or both.
On top of that, it's very annoying that the characters seem to feel a strong urge to constantly address each other by name. That really helps to make the dialogues more natural and less stilted (I'm being sarcastic here.).
"Do you have time for a beer, Joey?"
"Yeah, sure, Ben. I can't stay long but that would be nice."
He went in the house and brought out two bottles. (...) We both started talking at the same time, then stopped, then started again.
"You first, Ben. It's your house."
or
"You look a little uncertain, Ben. Why don't you get down on the floor and introduce yourself?"
"I don't know, Joey. I'm not good with kids. I don't have any experience with them."
"Connor's easy, Ben. He doesn't bite."
That definitely dampens the reading experience for me.
Maybe beta-reading could make it smoother.., maybe.
All in all, the plot itself wasn't half bad, I was able to enjoy it.
It is, however, rather one of the, .. erm.. not so good free stories that I've come across lately, because of the poor writing.
There are really some great and talented unpublished authors out there--that's not the case here.
July 11, 2011
More like 1.5, but who cares? This was long and rambling and don't get me started on the dialog. Besides the 'Yadayadayada, Ben' 'Blahblahblah', Joey' that always drives me nuts, these people didn't so much talk as lecture. Oh, and let's not forget the 20 month old angelic baby boy, whose worst trait is that he fills his diapers, and apart from that he just happily plays with the dog and takes naps, ne'er a tantrum in sight. Hell, if life with a 20 month old was that easy, I'd have a dozen kids and I wouldn't have still have the bags under my eyes a decade later. If I hadn't been stuck on a campground with no internet access there would be no way I'd have finished this. But I was and I did and I will have forgotten it next month.
January 7, 2014
I copied and pasted from Nifty into MS Word and my version was 400 pages. This is a sweet, bumpy, and realistic story. The writing is simple, at times it's repetitive but Ben and Joey's story, their journey of second chances,loss, love, discovery and family LOTS of freaking family is SO SOULFUL the negatives just don't matter. READ it! It's free damn it. :P. http://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/beginn...
March 7, 2012
Good m/m romance about a widower with a young son and a conservative family who becomes friends with a gay man and finally acknowledges the feelings he's always had for men. It doesn't go over so well with his family... This story suffered from excessive name use during conversation and could definitely have been shorter, but it was sweet anyway.
March 25, 2012
i really enjoyed this book. I just wish this author had written more books because I definately would have read them!
4.5 stars
4.5 stars
July 14, 2012
This was a really nice story. There were a couple of things that had me shaking my head but overall it was very good.
The dialogue got to be a bit much at times. It drives me nuts when characters refer to the person they are talking to by name in every single sentence. Every time Joey said something (it seemed like) it was "Ben this..." or "Ben that..." It was the same when Ben was speaking to Joey. Don't get me wrong, sometimes it was quite necessary because pretty much the entire 500-something pages are dialogue so it helped to keep from getting confused but it can definitely be too much.
The story was actually quite good. It takes awhile to get to the resolution but the resolution is satisfactory. I was getting toward the end almost scared of how one character's attitude would be dealt with. Not everything is tied up neatly but the story plays out well. The cast of characters are interesting to say the least. Throughout most of it I was thinking how thankful I am that I don't have a family like Joey's... :) And I thought MY mother-in-law was bad. Not! One character in particular, while an important part of the story, could never redeem himself in my eyes. He is written as a complete tool in the very beginning and then suddenly he becomes a friend of sorts. I had a difficult time seeing him for anything other than the way he was described early on even if he did do something nice later.
There is conflict, lots of homophobic idiots, questions about ones sexuality and even a troubled teen but in the end it is a very nice love story. Definitely worth the time it took for me to read it.
The dialogue got to be a bit much at times. It drives me nuts when characters refer to the person they are talking to by name in every single sentence. Every time Joey said something (it seemed like) it was "Ben this..." or "Ben that..." It was the same when Ben was speaking to Joey. Don't get me wrong, sometimes it was quite necessary because pretty much the entire 500-something pages are dialogue so it helped to keep from getting confused but it can definitely be too much.
The story was actually quite good. It takes awhile to get to the resolution but the resolution is satisfactory. I was getting toward the end almost scared of how one character's attitude would be dealt with. Not everything is tied up neatly but the story plays out well. The cast of characters are interesting to say the least. Throughout most of it I was thinking how thankful I am that I don't have a family like Joey's... :) And I thought MY mother-in-law was bad. Not! One character in particular, while an important part of the story, could never redeem himself in my eyes. He is written as a complete tool in the very beginning and then suddenly he becomes a friend of sorts. I had a difficult time seeing him for anything other than the way he was described early on even if he did do something nice later.
There is conflict, lots of homophobic idiots, questions about ones sexuality and even a troubled teen but in the end it is a very nice love story. Definitely worth the time it took for me to read it.
January 22, 2012
I absolutely loved this book. It is written in 1st person, which I typically don't like because you only get one pov. However, this is written in both the main characters' pov, switching within each chapter. There was some overlap, but it was nice to see it through another set of eyes.
The book is about Joey and Ben; their first meeting, their friendship, them falling in love and all of the things they have to deal with. There is a full cast of secondary characters (more than most books), but it does not get confusing or make the reader feel like it's too much. It was also very real. There wasn't action or adventure, just a story of two guys falling in love and dealing with the things life throws at them.
One of the things I really loved about this book was that it was long. Most of the time I get to end of a book and I feel dissatisfied, like ordering a great salad and only getting a bowl of lettuce. You get some sustenance, but it leaves you wanting so much more. In this book you get to meet the characters and learn to love them. Yes, I want more, but I am okay with where it ended and I feel like I got a full taste of their story rather than a nibble.
If I can find anything else by this author, I will surely read it.
The book is about Joey and Ben; their first meeting, their friendship, them falling in love and all of the things they have to deal with. There is a full cast of secondary characters (more than most books), but it does not get confusing or make the reader feel like it's too much. It was also very real. There wasn't action or adventure, just a story of two guys falling in love and dealing with the things life throws at them.
One of the things I really loved about this book was that it was long. Most of the time I get to end of a book and I feel dissatisfied, like ordering a great salad and only getting a bowl of lettuce. You get some sustenance, but it leaves you wanting so much more. In this book you get to meet the characters and learn to love them. Yes, I want more, but I am okay with where it ended and I feel like I got a full taste of their story rather than a nibble.
If I can find anything else by this author, I will surely read it.
September 9, 2016
Ok, I guess. But the overall theme of "you must be nice and polite and continually forgive the abusive asshole bigots in your family until they deign to put up with you in contemptuous silence" was a little grating. Sometimes you need to just cut those fuckers out of your lives...especially the ones who have no problem throwing punches at you.
Also, for fucks sake, I really do not need to read every scene twice whenever there is a pov change. I read it. Two seconds ago. My memory problems are not that bad. (And it would have made this book about a 1/3 shorter, and easier to read, as well as being less annoying)
Also, for fucks sake, I really do not need to read every scene twice whenever there is a pov change. I read it. Two seconds ago. My memory problems are not that bad. (And it would have made this book about a 1/3 shorter, and easier to read, as well as being less annoying)
February 6, 2013
I definitely liked this book! Which is a bit curious, because sometimes the writing seemed a bit off to me, and the phrasing in general just wasn't ... well very polished. And this usually throws me off pretty fast.
The plot of the story, though, was really amazing; I loved Ben and Joey and I keep coming back to this story every once in a while because it's just so great seeing them come together despite all the adverse reactions in their (Joey's) environment. Because of that, I just have to give this book four stars despite the issues I have with the writing at times.
The plot of the story, though, was really amazing; I loved Ben and Joey and I keep coming back to this story every once in a while because it's just so great seeing them come together despite all the adverse reactions in their (Joey's) environment. Because of that, I just have to give this book four stars despite the issues I have with the writing at times.
April 11, 2011
This was really fantastic!
April 5, 2015
3.5 stars
September 25, 2018
It was ok. Well, not really. I had already read half of it by the time I realized how much time I am wasting. But I could not stop, I skimmed ahead. Thanks God there were not many boring sex scene. But the way the writer was going she could have written another 600 pages of one or another problem. the romance was dead by 200 pages. By chapter 29 I was wishing for them to fight for once in their life. Like it was all so linear with no conflict. And Im not talking about the conflicts he had with his brothers.
The dialogues were really bad, we never knew when they were whispering or shouting or snapping or what. And the writer had to add the names of the characters being spoken to to let us know who was speaking to whom. Like why not cut into some rambling time and let us know who felt what when speaking.
But I should probably not be nasty. It was a free read. And probably had no editor. So all in all, thanks God its finished.
The dialogues were really bad, we never knew when they were whispering or shouting or snapping or what. And the writer had to add the names of the characters being spoken to to let us know who was speaking to whom. Like why not cut into some rambling time and let us know who felt what when speaking.
But I should probably not be nasty. It was a free read. And probably had no editor. So all in all, thanks God its finished.
November 7, 2016
Overall: ★★★☆☆
Plot: ★★★★☆
Characters: ★★★☆☆
Editing: ★★☆☆☆
Heat level: ★☆☆☆☆
After a couple of meet-cutes, Ben and Joey decide to meet up at a bar after bowling. Their friendship begins with Ben venting about his ex-boyfriend who recently dumped him for a 22 year old. The post-bowling hour at the bar continues each Monday, and Joey eventually explains that his wife had died the year before, leaving him a single father. As their friendship grows, Joey realizes that he wants more from their relationship. But Joey’s family has something to say about that.
While this story does have some sex and romance in it, it mostly focuses on Joey dealing with the fallout of coming out to his family. Ben was the steady rock supporting Joey, and there really wasn’t much character development for him aside for his growing part in caring for Conner, Joey’s infant son.
There were several secondary characters on Joey’s side, a couple of whom were fleshed out. The majority of secondary characters, including Ben’s friends, were not. The scenarios they played a part in were realistic, and nobody changed overnight.
While I loved the story itself, the editing often got in the way. Spelling and grammar errors were common. The author’s aversion to informing the reader which character was speaking made the often dialogue-heavy scenes difficult to follow. And scenes were repeated from the other POV for seemingly no reason.
Plot: ★★★★☆
Characters: ★★★☆☆
Editing: ★★☆☆☆
Heat level: ★☆☆☆☆
After a couple of meet-cutes, Ben and Joey decide to meet up at a bar after bowling. Their friendship begins with Ben venting about his ex-boyfriend who recently dumped him for a 22 year old. The post-bowling hour at the bar continues each Monday, and Joey eventually explains that his wife had died the year before, leaving him a single father. As their friendship grows, Joey realizes that he wants more from their relationship. But Joey’s family has something to say about that.
While this story does have some sex and romance in it, it mostly focuses on Joey dealing with the fallout of coming out to his family. Ben was the steady rock supporting Joey, and there really wasn’t much character development for him aside for his growing part in caring for Conner, Joey’s infant son.
There were several secondary characters on Joey’s side, a couple of whom were fleshed out. The majority of secondary characters, including Ben’s friends, were not. The scenarios they played a part in were realistic, and nobody changed overnight.
While I loved the story itself, the editing often got in the way. Spelling and grammar errors were common. The author’s aversion to informing the reader which character was speaking made the often dialogue-heavy scenes difficult to follow. And scenes were repeated from the other POV for seemingly no reason.
April 23, 2017
Pretty good read. Some of the word choices were off-putting and read a bit more like a sleazy Playboy fantasy than fiction ('meat', 'schlong', etc), and some of the characters were a little stereotypical, but there was nice chemistry between the MCs, the secondary characters were entertaining, and every plot thread was resolved in some way before the end (even if that resolution involved no resolution).
What really kept this from being a 5 star read were the frequent comments about James towards the end. I get that men are going to look at other attractive men, but James is 15 when the remarks start about how attractive he is, how even his uncle has perved at his arse, how he was beating off listening to the MCs have loud sex. It felt really gross and sleazy and made the MCs look a little like the predatory gay men the homophobic element of the story believed they were. If I hadn't already devoted my entire day to getting that far into the story, it would have been a DNF based just on this.
But putting that one sour note aside, I did enjoy this read.
What really kept this from being a 5 star read were the frequent comments about James towards the end. I get that men are going to look at other attractive men, but James is 15 when the remarks start about how attractive he is, how even his uncle has perved at his arse, how he was beating off listening to the MCs have loud sex. It felt really gross and sleazy and made the MCs look a little like the predatory gay men the homophobic element of the story believed they were. If I hadn't already devoted my entire day to getting that far into the story, it would have been a DNF based just on this.
But putting that one sour note aside, I did enjoy this read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 24, 2014
made me tear up...in the coming out novel way...rather than the romance novel way. Rather a romance it's definitely a "coming out" story. What was interesting is that I never got the feeling Joey and Ben were not going to be together forever in the end. Probably because this was more a "coming out" rather than a romance where the main plot is "he loves me, or doesn't he". The homophobic parts were in full swing in this book. It was quite interesting. Honestly some things weren't wrapped up, but isn't that life? It doesn't wrap itself up in a nice little bow. For the record I definitely thought one of Joey's brothers was going to be gay as well (either Vinnie or John). I knew James was gay from the moment he was introduced (haha, there wasn't a lot of sneakiness in the plot there...but whatever). Lots of slutty bottom jokes...duno bout that, but they are definitely pervasive in the scene.
I probably would have been more interested to hear the story of just James and Jared...lol. I just imagine adorableness.
I probably would have been more interested to hear the story of just James and Jared...lol. I just imagine adorableness.
October 25, 2011
So, I got about twenty percent and then I had to give it up. I really cannot beleive how stilted the dialogue is... And it just gets worse and worse. If you're going to set up a character to make super huge blunders you need to do it properly: subtly! Making a character bring up a very sensitive subject and then two lines later say "I'm sorry. I understand." and then stop talking about it is NOT subtle. Making said character repeat this same interaction more times than I can count just means you suck as a writer.
The fact that it's all of the dialogue that's tough to work through is what made me give this up. Find a decent beta reader and this story could really become something. The plot line isn't half bad after all.
On a different note, this is the first time that I've read free online fiction that came so highly recommended by this site and it utterly failed.
The fact that it's all of the dialogue that's tough to work through is what made me give this up. Find a decent beta reader and this story could really become something. The plot line isn't half bad after all.
On a different note, this is the first time that I've read free online fiction that came so highly recommended by this site and it utterly failed.
February 12, 2013
Hmmm...where to even start on a review for this. I love to read stories where I get so caught up in the characters and the story that they become a part of my life while I am reading about theirs. I loved the MCs and enjoyed their love, I enjoyed the secondary characters (Becky, James), and the sub-plot line involving James. It's hard to read about bigots, and even though there are several in this book, some actually become more enlightened even though the struggle all the way through it. I did not want this to end. I wanted to see how things progressed with James & Jared, if Vinnie would ever come around and give his son a chance, and whether John could ever get over himself. But most of all I didn't want to leave Ben & Joey. This is a true romance, in every way. Loved it!
July 15, 2011
This is a thought provoking, captivating story. It’s not for those that want a short story and an hour of none think time. Because this is an actual BOOK. It’s not just a romance. While I like fluff pieces (a lot), I truly love stories such as these. I would have to take time outs from reading just to digest what I read and to really think about how that made me feel and what would I do if I were in that position. I would wonder if I could understand the character, though maybe not agree, could I get why they did what they did. It’s the type of book that at the end you feel you’ve come out a better person. I truly enjoyed this story and can’t wait to read more from the author.
August 24, 2011
I really liked this book (the storyline and the characters) but there were a few things that bugged me.
1. There were long sections of dialogue with no narration whatsoever. Narration would have made it easier and more enjoyable to read.
2. The characters kept saying each others' names (i.e. "Well, Bob, I'm not sure how I'm going to solve this problem"). People don't talk like that in real life. You may say someone's name to get his/her attention, but generally not in the middle of talking.
3. I know Ben and Joey had a lot of outside problems (family) but they had almost no disagreements between themselves, which just seemed unrealistic.
1. There were long sections of dialogue with no narration whatsoever. Narration would have made it easier and more enjoyable to read.
2. The characters kept saying each others' names (i.e. "Well, Bob, I'm not sure how I'm going to solve this problem"). People don't talk like that in real life. You may say someone's name to get his/her attention, but generally not in the middle of talking.
3. I know Ben and Joey had a lot of outside problems (family) but they had almost no disagreements between themselves, which just seemed unrealistic.
March 20, 2013
I really enjoyed this read overall. The story developed very nicely, wasn't rushed at all and just felt very real.
But you notice that it never went through professional editing with some of the dialogues feeling a bit forced.
I also found it a bit annoying how they really spelt out every feeling, talking about EVERYTHING that was going on which I didn't like because it was just a bit much, mainly because most times their motivations and feelings were already obvious and really didn't need to be voiced in that much detail.
But apart from that it really was a nice book I really enjoyed and would recommend
But you notice that it never went through professional editing with some of the dialogues feeling a bit forced.
I also found it a bit annoying how they really spelt out every feeling, talking about EVERYTHING that was going on which I didn't like because it was just a bit much, mainly because most times their motivations and feelings were already obvious and really didn't need to be voiced in that much detail.
But apart from that it really was a nice book I really enjoyed and would recommend
May 24, 2016
A lot more realistic than most mm romances out there. It was pretty interesting even though it was rather long. Still, loved the side characters' stories and the way the main characters got together and supported each other during the rough times.
Unfortunately some people still can't accept love between people of the same sex. I don't know why they care so much. They shouldn't be thinking or imagining what we do between the sheets... Specially if it grosses them out... And even less if they're their relatives! They are the perverted ones, after all.
Unfortunately some people still can't accept love between people of the same sex. I don't know why they care so much. They shouldn't be thinking or imagining what we do between the sheets... Specially if it grosses them out... And even less if they're their relatives! They are the perverted ones, after all.
April 10, 2011
3.5 Stars
Interesting story, complex characters and a plot that isn't completely resolved, just like real life.
There are definitely issues with the story though...stilted dialogue being a big one. Also, I had a hard time with some of the (verbal) interaction between the 2 MCs and the 15 year old nephew near the end of the book. Yeah, totally unbelievable and definitely not appropriate particularly considering the Napoli family's beliefs regarding gay people.
Interesting story, complex characters and a plot that isn't completely resolved, just like real life.
There are definitely issues with the story though...stilted dialogue being a big one. Also, I had a hard time with some of the (verbal) interaction between the 2 MCs and the 15 year old nephew near the end of the book. Yeah, totally unbelievable and definitely not appropriate particularly considering the Napoli family's beliefs regarding gay people.
January 4, 2012
Ben's lover of almost ten years, Paul, going through a mid-life crisis falls for someone younger. He kicks Ben to the curb rather harshly.
Joey is a young widower, with a small son. He never ever thought he might be gay, because he had been so in love with his wife. He had grown up loving only her, so when he meets Ben, sparks fall. Not only between the two men, but, with his rather large Italian family.
Joey is a young widower, with a small son. He never ever thought he might be gay, because he had been so in love with his wife. He had grown up loving only her, so when he meets Ben, sparks fall. Not only between the two men, but, with his rather large Italian family.
April 17, 2013
I was addicted. Once I started reading I couldn't stop. This story was beautiful and amazing! I thought each and every character were written so well that I loved the characters I even hated. Ben and Joey were wonderful together and the sex was HOT!!! I absolutely loved that James was gay and found a loving mentor style relationship with Joey and Ben and I was thoroughly pleased when the author gave him Jared. And who couldn't love little Conner! Wonderful book!!
September 26, 2016
I admit that I have a weakness for books about nice Italian boys. So I was predisposed to like this. But that aside, this is a great example of book about falling in love, coming out, and dealing with friends and family.
Addition 9/26/16: It's also an interesting take on the Catholic Church and how some gay people continue to support the church and others are turned off by its stance on homosexuality.
Addition 9/26/16: It's also an interesting take on the Catholic Church and how some gay people continue to support the church and others are turned off by its stance on homosexuality.
January 8, 2012
This was a pretty good read. It focused on love and not just on gay love. I really liked the author seemed to be trying to teach acceptance with this story, because a lot of people still think in ignorant, simple, terms when it comes to homosexuality. Felt a bit odd at the end, like it ran out of steam, but it was still a good read to pass the time with.
January 28, 2013
A realistic story about Ben Donnely a gay man whom just been dumped by his boyfriend of 10 years. He has trouble getting on with his live but then he meets Joey an italian widower with a son and a big family who thinks that being gay is right op there with being a mass murderer. Will love conquere all? I suggest you read and find out.....
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