Book Reviews

Book Blurb

You never forget your first love, but what if your first love never forgot you…and orchestrated an unconventional reunion?

Less than a year after the death of his wife, musician Charlie Foster agreed to perform at a convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He thought getting away from New York for a few days would be good for him, but he didn’t expect to see the first person he’d ever fallen in love with.

Jake Pierson gave his heart to Charlie when he was barely fifteen years old. As best friends, Jake believed he and Charlie would be together forever, but when Charlie took the easier path in life, Jake was left to deal with a future without the man he loved.

Jake knew tricking Charlie into performing at a conference he’d helped organise was low-handed, but he had a promise to keep and a future to build.

 

 

Reader Advisory: This story has been previously released as part of the Unconventional at Best anthology by Total-E-Bound

 

Book Review

Sacrificing one's own happiness may seem like a noble gesture, but it is not necessarily the prudent thing to do. Jake Pierson, in Carol Lynne's book 'A New Normal', gave up the man he loved because he thought that Charlie would never be happy in a relationship with a man. The thing is, the whole premise of the sacrifice was a farce. It wasn't what Charlie should have chosen; he was lying to himself. By letting him 'go', it was Jake, not Charlie, who made the decision. Even though Jake has never stopped loving Charlie, now that Charlie is free, is it right for Jake to want a life with him? Is he just being selfish; or is he actually setting things right?

Charlie is like so many people who strive for a normal life; when, in truth, there is no such thing. Charlie, though, is very stubborn. Instead of following his heart, he lets his life be dictated by those around him, not realizing that one of them has ulterior motives that are less than pure. He's blinded to the truth by his desire to please everyone, so he fools himself into thinking that normal is best. In doing so, he leads a life of lies and deception, which becomes disappointing and hurtful to himself and those close to him. The sense of normalcy Charlie seeks ends up causing disappointment and despair. In essence, no one is happy and they are forced to lead a life that is anything but normal. When circumstances bring Jake and Charlie into a position where they should have been all along, the guilt is unbearable for Charlie and he clamps down on those feelings and tries to force himself back into his life of lies. It doesn't work. Again, he's put himself, his wife, and Jake back into the insanity of their situations and causes even more pain. It takes a tragic event and a lot of juggling to set things right.

Jake, if nothing else, is persistent and persuasive. His devotion and love for Charlie is amazing and sometimes mislead. Even though he wants Charlie for himself, he steps aside, becoming his best friend instead of his lover, and lets Charlie make his own decision to marry a woman, even though he suspects it might be a mistake. Jake is also respectful of Charlie's feelings and waits until the best time to make his move to win Charlie back. Although he knows it might backfire, he has to take the chance and what a place to do so—at a Gay Romance Writer's conference, a place where they are bound to receive the support and encouragement that Jake and Charlie need.

Although short, this is a very satisfying book. Carol does an excellent job of filling us in on the necessary details of her characters' lives. She explains how each are feeling and why they made the choices that lead to the difficult situations in their lives. Although I couldn't quite fathom why Jake and Charlie sometimes acted as they did, I was easily able to sympathize with them and cheer them on. I recommend this brief, but succinct love story which has a great deal of heart and a wonderful, happy ending. Thank you, Carol, for reminding us that normal doesn't always mean good.

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Pride Publishing for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Short Story, 32 pages/10683 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	31-December-2012
Price	$2.50 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.pride-publishing.com/book/a-new-normal