The Boys of Summer, 2nd edition
By SarahMadison
4 Stars
Review by OJ
Available for purchase at:
Dreamspinner Press
Amazon
ARe
First Edition published by Createspace, 2013.
ISBN-13 978-1-63476-630-2
Pages 200
Cover Artist Reese
Dante
Categories Novels, Sarah Madison, European, Urban, Fantasy, Historical, Fantasy
Book Type eBook
File Formats Available mobi epub pdf
Other Formats Paperback
Review by OJThe Blurb:David McIntyre has been enjoying the heck out of his current assignment: touring the Hawaiian Islands in search of the ideal shooting location for a series of film-company projects. What’s not to like? Stunning scenery, great food, sunny beaches… and Rick Sutton, the hot, ex-Air Force pilot who is flying him around. Everything changes when a tropical storm and engine failure forces a crash landing on a deserted atoll with a WWII listening post. Rick’s injuries and a lack of food and water mean David has to step up to the plate and play hero. While his days are spent fighting for survival, and his nights are filled with worrying about Rick, the two men grow closer. David’s research for his next movie becomes intertwined with his worst fears, and events on the island result in a vivid dream about the Battle of Britain. On waking, David realizes Rick is more than just a pilot to him. The obstacles that prevented a happy ending in 1940 aren’t present today, and David vows that if they survive this stranding, he will tell Rick how he feels.Personal Tags: Action/Adventure; Military; Historical; Older man/Younger man; Really funny; Really sad; High Angst; Hot Angst.
The Boys of Summer. This is a second, revised, edition by
Dreamspinner Press on December 21st, 2015. It was originally
published in 2013 by Createspace.
When I saw this come out, again, it called to me like a
siren in the night. I don’t know why, but the blurb just got to me, as well as
Sarah’s description: I was appalled at
how little I knew of that time period, or just how great a sacrifice we asked
of those young men. It became vitally important to me that I tell their story.
Besides: Hawaii! I lived there for a year in my early and madcap youth (I
always wanted to use madcap!) and it is truly heaven on Earth. Let’s see if I
can convey how much I loved this story without too many spoilers. It’s hard as
it is all intertwined and part of the story that makes this such a great read.
THE CHARACTERS
David McIntyre, ‘Mac’ - David, “Mac”, has a great job as a locations scout— touring
exotic locales for a production company that specializes in finding the right
scenery for the right price, no matter if you wanted to shoot an old-style
Western, a Lord of the Rings clone, or a sci-fi movie set on Mars. His job
means lots of travel, which he enjoys. He gets to indulge in his hobby of
photography and lots of travel, which he enjoys. He gets to indulge in his
hobby of photography, and he has plenty of time to work on his own projects.
Not to mention, it gives him an “in” with the movers and shakers of Hollywood,
which does more than just get him invited to some of the best parties in LA. It
also means that people in the business take a personal interest in his
projects. He doesn’t plan to be a location scout his entire career. One day he
hopes to have a production company of his own— maybe even direct his own films.
Rick Sutton. ‘Sutt’ - Rick Sutton was arguably one of the most photogenic men
ever. Sutton was the real deal. Sutton isn’t trying to carefully cultivate a
certain look. He just is that look. The first time David had walked into the
hangar where Sutton ran his charter service, Sutton had stepped out from behind
the plane, wiping his hands on a greasy rag. David could have sworn his jaw hit
the floor like that of some cartoon rabbit. It would have been a simple matter
to get Sutton half a dozen roles without even trying. David could have cast him
as an Indiana Jones type in unlimited adventure films, or as the world-weary
private detective in a weekly drama. Sutton would have made the perfect
drifter, the down-on-his-luck hero with a heart of gold, the newest video-game
character turned into a movie.
THE STORY
Here comes the most interesting part, the story. This is a
modern M/M romance, with the crusty Alpha type, not too Alpha, just right, and
a historical romance thrown in for an amazing, knock me down, effect. The
beginning, and the end, of this is straight forward modern M/M, however in the
middle of the book there’s this amazingly beautiful historical Easter Egg that
is beyond description. The juxtaposition of the modern era story, with its own
set of angst filled story lines, with the historical perspective of the WWII
era characters is electrifying. Watching the characters in their era brings a
feeling that can only best be experienced in the rear view mirror of time and
history. Some things really are better in the 21st Century.
This book literally had me laughing and enjoying a modern
era romance/action story and sobbing at the historical part of it all. Yes,
sobbing. Like a little boy. That’s how good this is. The ending of this, back
in the modern era, is phenomenal. Brilliant. What a way to drive the whole
story home!
THE WRITING
I’ve read a few of Ms. Madison’s books and this one is, by
far, one of her very best. The writing
is crisp and descriptive: David looked up
to warn Sutton that he was allergic to mold, but his mouth gaped open as he saw
him transformed. He looked for all the world like an RAF fighter pilot, and
suddenly David could picture him leaning negligently against the side of a
Spitfire, flirting outrageously with all the WAAFs. He would have had them
eating out of his hand until the very last moment, the very last flight.
The pathos in her writing of this is off the scale, it had
me weeping and sobbing. Such a beautiful love story: David watched him cross the compound, hoping he would turn, would do
anything to acknowledge that this was a substantial parting of ways, but he did
not. David was forced to stand at the open car door, gripping the frame tightly
as he watched that straight, slim back disappear into the main building. It was
the last time he ever saw him.
This is one of those rare books that I just can’t get out of
my mind. It haunts me and persecutes me and this is such a good thing! The
ending, in modern day, doesn’t disappoint and is such darn good reading. Ms.
Madison really wraps this up and brings it home in such an excellent manner: Rick crushed him up against the wall. Taking
David’s head into his hands, Rick kissed him with the fervor of a man who’d
been dying of thirst upon finding water in a desert. David wondered briefly if
that was what it had been like for Rick since his discharge— endless sand dunes
and miles between each oasis. David wanted to slake Rick’s thirst so thoroughly
that he would stop wandering for good.
This isn’t the end, though. You’ll have to find that out for
yourself.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Via author's website
If you’ve made it to this point, hopefully you are seeking Sarah
Madison, the award-winning author of m/m romance, adventure, and suspense stories and not Sarah Madison, the actress, or
Sarah Madison, the cardiovascular surgeon. (Because if you were looking for
them, ooops! Big surprise!)
I tend to be very active on
the web in my other locations, as these places were developed first. I blog on
here on the website, should you wish to read about my adventures as an author,
veterinarian, dog lover, competitive horse rider, or just about my random
musings. I’m fairly active
on Twitter, I put in an appearance on Facebook,
and I track my ever-growing TRB list on Goodreads. You can
find listings of all my stories here on the site, but they are also listed on my Amazon page.
However, if all you are really looking for is updates on my
latest releases, this is the place for you. I plan to keep the website simple
and clean, pleasing to the eye and easy to navigate. Be sure to sign up for my
newsletter, as well as updates from this blog.
What kinds of stories do I like to write?
What kinds of stories do I like to write?
I write primarily about m/m relationships. I like to write long,
plotty stories with a lot of angst, bright splashes of humor, a little drama,
some action (sex or otherwise), and for the most part, I believe in happy
endings.
I’m a huge fan of mysteries, science-fiction, and fantasy–these
are my favorite stories to read and write. Romance is icing on the cake to
me–it makes everything better.
I love to hear from my readers–please don’t hesitate to contact
me: akasarahmadison at gmail dot com
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