No River Wide Enough by Mel Bossa

Set in 1992 this book deals with issues that I remember well. The AIDS epidemic was real and something that not everyone had full information about. Being in the closet for many was still a big issue - as it was for Hank Clifts in this story. There were some who were more open but not in small communities or in some conservative religious groups. Issues are more openly discussed now than then but there still needs to be more openness and acceptance in this world.

Okay, this book is a heartwarming love story set in a small community. It is also a story of friendship and sharing and caring. I liked and could relate to the characters and believe I would have enjoyed living in this town. Chris is such a good man and he always sees the best in others while trying to do what is right. He has made a home for himself and is content though he does dream of having a true love someday. When Hank shows up in town there is instant attraction and though it takes Hank a bit of time to make his move it is just what they both needed when they finally get together. They realize that it might be short-term but both wish it could be more…and with some work they do manage to eventually get their HEA.

Side stories include the friendship between Chris and his neighbor and the issues she is facing, the postcards Chris receives, a young man in town who is facing a personal crisis, a medical emergency, personal growth of more than one person, bigotry, the way community pulls together and more. The art and river and sharing and caring were wonderful.

I did question whether or not men would think and talk and behave as they did in this story BUT since I am not a man or a gay man…may never know how true to life these men might be. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and would actually like to read a book about Donnie at some point in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Less Than Three Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars… (altro)

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CathyGeha | Apr 13, 2018 |

Suite Nineteen di Mel Bossa

Wow, what a difficult book to get into . . . and out of. The narrator is a complex individual, and his mental/emotional issues really do drive the story forward, but also makes for a frustrating and confusing read. This was one of those books you have to force yourself to finish, because you really want to see how everything is resolved, but find yourself reluctant to go back to because it's such an awkward read.

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bibrarybookslut | 1 altra recensione | Jul 5, 2017 |

Split di Mel Bossa

First off...a big THANK YOU to Cassandra from choosing this book for me to read. This book was nowhere near on my radar. Thank you for putting it there because what a story.

All these emotions I have just stirring from this book. Wow.

I figured I split it down the middle into two parts.

Dear Bump,

I'm thankful for the story you're from. It was such a touching, moving tale, with rich characters that I could almost taste, see, feel and hear them...sometimes even with you.

Though the story is Derek O'Reilly's, told from his POV, I felt you were an integral part along with him. You helped him so much and were so loved by him.

I hope you know that.

Derek's story started and ended with you. It moved me, sometimes even to tears. Because Derek was so deserving of love and I think if you had the chance you would have adored him, helped him with his pain. Sometimes, there are people put into this world to love, they were born just for it.

And unfortunately, Derek was surrounded by a lot of people who just couldn't do it.

Thank goodness for Aunt Frannie and the Lunds. I don't know where Derek would have been or become without them. Derek, that shy 11 year old with the world in his eyes, ignored, made fun of his stutter...thank goodness he wrote his letters and expressed himself through them to you. (well mostly, there were a few episodes where he didn't and his pain was a visceral, aching wound) You'll be glad to know he finally overcame that.

Bump, can you imagine falling in love at 11 years old? To know you are gay, know who you love at such a tender age?

How can I love someone so much, but be invisible to him? I closed my eyes and tried to make my heart stop beating. I prayed to God. "Make this heartbeat be the last."

But it never was."

It's an emotional time, let me tell you, Bump. You think it's etched deep into your bones, you're so full of love. Everyone else around you thinks it's just a crush or idol worship. But not for Derek. He was made for Nicolai Lund, Derek's best friend's older brother. Nicolai was the quintessential bad boy...with a disability (dyslexic) of his own, no less.

What can a damaged 11 and 16 year old do? Though nothing romantic happened during that period, you felt the connection, Bump. That connection was so real, it was tangible, Bump. It couldn't be denied.

But Derek, he has a problem with sharing his feelings, keeping them bottled inside until it's too late. If you only knew what mess Derek gets into presently, Bump. But I'll get to that in my other part of my review.

Oh Bump, when you were first introduced it was jarring. The story telling was, at times, raw, sometimes poetic. But Derek's story had to be told this way, Bump.

Split into past and present to make the whole.

I wish I could have hugged him for you, Bump. But like I said, thank goodness for the Lunds. They provided a model of what a true family bond is. don't get me wrong, they'er not perfect. They are wondrously flawed. I enjoyed each member of the Lund family (And though Nicolai is Derek's love interest, my heart beats for Boone! Love him!)

Real life issues. Real life drama. Real life, Bump. Luckily this stage was so eloquently intertwined with present day. Not hard to follow along once you get into it.

And I got into it hard, Bump.

Enjoyed each and every word.

And your representation might had been a bitter pill to swallow but you represented a sense of hope, joy for one lonely little boy. Beauty can be found from pain.

Sometimes.

Love,

Me

P.S. Cassandra continues to have a nice life. :D

*tilts head*

Dear Derek,

Seventeen years.

Seventeen years worth of love you have for one boy man. And it was felt, hon. It's not an easy thing for an author to capture every nuance to make years worth of love believable, but Derek I believed you 1000%.

Derek. You lost your way, you settled, you became meek and mild when you always had a spine of steel. You were always worthy.

You just didn't recognize it.

That Nathan mistake...I could ask, why did you let it get so bad? But I'm not. It was what it was. Thankfully the bout of domestic violence was brief, it angered me, Derek. You continued to bottle yourself up. I knew there was a spark in you. I always watch out for the quiet ones, they can make their presence known pretty deep when they want to. so happy you FINALLY let it out, Derek.

I partly wished we could have gotten Nicolai's POV but you know what? As I am writing this, it wasn't needed. All that need to be said...was said. Even all what you didn't say was appreciated by me (and Nick too)

It was great to see all my favorite characters (pretty much everyone except your parents, Derek) grow up. And the story Derek apparently gets better with age? Just when I think it will all be mucked up a believable HEA pops up towards the end. The road Derek and Nicolai take is not without heartache, but that's life.

I'm happy you found your way.

I'm happy with how it ended.

Know I'm totally checking more out from this author because those words...were divine. What a great story.

“O'Reilly, I've been running from the worst of myself all my life, and now it looks like the best of me just caught up.”

Derek, I love you for what you were and what you are. Happy you finally saw what you could become.

Love,

Me

P.S. If you're reading this...definitely check out this book."… (altro)

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SheReadsALot | 3 altre recensioni | Jun 20, 2016 |

Linhart's Beautiful Beast di Mel Bossa

3.75 HEARTS--Passionate. Idealistic. Ugly. Crazy. Beautiful.

"Every morning, he woke up hoping this was Dubois's last day in here, but then, when the night came, he'd lie there, praying Dubois stayed another day.He wanted him. Wanted him until he thought he'd lose his mind. "

Prison romances. I love them something fierce. Why? Having to be caged and mentally (sometimes physically) broken down to a bare bones level can make a great read. You thought I was going to say the sex? It can be great too, but I'm looking for the emotion from the inmates. If there is going to be romance, I want broken souls coming together. I want to read and experience their journey.

Mel Bossa accomplishes this with the protagonists in "Linhart's Beautiful Beast".

Set in 1930's Quebec, 21 year old Joe Vega is over 6'6", considered nothing more than an ignorant, immigrant criminal beast. He was sent to Linhart prison aka the "Icebox" where the inmates are really being used for free manual labor. The social injustices outside the prison continues inside the prison: English vs. French in his homeland, civil unrest overseas and this mustachioed man who seems to be garnering attention.

But in Linhart prison, their world is contained by a lot of ice and trees. Joe is not stupid. In fact, he's very well read and full of ideals. He's read all but three books in the entire building, writes love letters for other inmates and though feared for his size and intimidating look, he is respected because he is a gentleman. Already three years in his seven year sentence for a trumped up charge, he gets a new cellmate. The rich, effeminate, ginger haired, twink French teen Christophe Dubois whose father is hated for his political machinations. Dubois happens to have ties to the mafia and all eyes are on him for his alluring presence.

"And do you know why I feel immune to the ugliness in here?" "'Cause you're leaving, and that gives you one thing we don't have...hope." "No, it's because I feel your presence with me at all times. You're that ship, Joseph. I've forsaken my spirit to you. It doesn't matter where you go, or I go. I'm bound to you now."

Captivated yet fighting his attraction, Joe tries to ignore the obviously gay younger man. No one can be trusted, the only person who seems to be honorable is Joe. The author tells the story through the gentle giant. It's sort of a beauty and the beast type of feel. The main characters have a lot of things going against them. It seems there are a lot of factions against them, more in the beginning once everyone notices Dubois is gay. He doesn't hide who he is. And I loved it.

"You could cut...all that out.""You mean the men. Perhaps I could. I'm quite sure I could. But you see, Joe, I don't want to. What you call unnatural is the very essence of my nature."

Trigger warnings: violence, a near non-con scene. The story was like a roller coaster once it started to get air under its sails, around 10-15%. Once it started getting into its pace, the story got more interesting. There were a lot of ideas thrown into this story, most of them worked.

But...there were times the story dragged or ended in an odd spot. Some of the characters acted a little erratic. And the beginning of the main character's relationship...something was too soon but after awhile, I got caught up in their grand declarations.

Things I loved:

The main characters - Joe the uneducated immigrant who thinks like a poet laureate, the "beautiful beast" covered in burn scars. I came to care for. Sometimes he could be a little too goody goody but overall I enjoyed him. I loved reading his internal struggle for loving another man, it read very believable. And Dubois, the passionate young rent boy who loves so crazily, so easily (I questioned the speed of his love in the beginning) he cut his finger off to prove a point to a past lover kind of passion. Dubois knew what he was, didn't hide who he was and that letter he wrote to the warden was everything. Though the boys are fairly young and could be technically be classified as new adult, the life experience they've had and the time period reads more adult. But their actions and trust me some of their choices especially when they are free of Linhart can be frustrating, but it could be blamed on their age. Still, they made quite a pair.

Historical Quebec - The Depression era and WWII aren't my favorite historical time periods to read in romance. There is something about the 1920's-40's that usually takes longer to get my attention. But the Canadian perspective was different and I really enjoyed this. The historical events were intertwined fluidly. You could feel the prison guards' frustration from having to work in the Icebox. The inmates we do meet through Joe are mostly his two friends, Levin and Novak, so their anger about their state of life was written very nicely. And the setting was rich. I really felt like I was in the cold, icy snow, chopping trees with inmates.

Things that were okay/ gave me pause:

Joe's mother - I tried to understand her. Her reactions read weird especially within the last 10%. Now I got to understand she tried to say things without overtly saying them to her son like, 'don't be a homosexual', 'what about your life', etc. But her reactions ping ponged from anger, happiness, lust(?), shame...I lost her character. She didn't like Christophe but she did, there was a birder in her house aka she didn't want the gay business in her house, I think. I don't know. I wish she came across more clearer or at least pick one side of the emotion spectrum when it came to her son so I could understand her more.

Transitioning - It could be a little rough. I think the point was for the reader to read between the lines during some of the pivotal scenes. But sometimes it was difficult to decipher.

Plot points - A lot of ideas, maybe just a little too many? I think some of the plot points could have been pushed further such as the reasoning behind Joe being arrested. It's a plot twist, explanations are given but I think it could have been explored. Maybe seeing the big bad guys in the flesh instead of being talked about secondhand? Maybe a flashback of Joe before being arrested to get a clearer picture on the set up? Some points were underdeveloped.

Though there were some issues, the romance was strong. If your reading for mostly for hot erotica, this had sex but it's secondary to the romance. Some of the scenes are implied/fade to black. There is a HEA. There are some heartbreaking and touching moments.

A passionate tale between two characters who I'd like to think would survive to love for a lifetime no matter what odds.

A copy provided for an honest review.

"… (altro)

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SheReadsALot | Jun 20, 2016 |

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