Book Reviews

The Border by Kim Fielding at Tin Box Press

Genre Gay / Urban Fantasy / Romance
Reviewed by Christy Duke on 09-April-2025

Book Blurb

Injured in a war that has stretched for years, John Peterson guards a lonely border. Aside from passing contact with railship captains, the only person he sees is the enemy: the man who guards the other side of the border. One day John is badly hurt in a fall and is rescued by the other soldier, whose name is Tom Fellowes. Far away, a truce has been called, but both soldiers carry the war in their souls. Can they find peace together?

 

 

First edition published at Dreamspinner Press, June 2014.


 

Book Review

What's the saying about war making strange bedfellows? In 'The Border', Kim Fielding's short story, that's exactly what the author has crafted. Two men guarding their sides of the border, with barbed wire and a small patch of no man's land is all that separates them. The war that changed their nation into two, the Eastern and the Western halves, has left everything decimated.

John, a sergeant for the West, has been posted at this tiny way station hut in the middle of nowhere to monitor the rail ships traffic as they come and go. His partner, so to speak, is across the no man's land on the Eastern side. They do not speak. They do not interact. They are enemies. Until the day John falls from his roof trying to repair a shingle and Tom, being neighborly, patches him up and helps during his convalescence. It's hard to view someone as an enemy when they look just like you, share the same horror stories of war, lost loved ones, and are just trying to survive every day. Comfort, friendship and love grow from those commonalities and John and Tom realize they're far more alike than they are different.

A beautiful love story. Thank you, Kim.

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. The first edition of this book was purchased by the reviewer.

 

Additional Information

Format ebook
Length Short Story, 43 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date 01-April-2025
Price $0.99 ebook
Buy Link https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0F3BK73SL