Terry O'Reilly (1)Reseñas

Revieed on Hearts On Fire... http://heartsonfirereviews.com/

This story gave a good look at gay love under the strict puritanical laws. Jonathan is a young school teacher who falls in love with Nathaniel, a master cooper. Unfortunately the punishment for their sexual behavior under Puritan law is death by hanging. Nathaniel sneaks to the school house where Jonathan lives in the loft for evening trysts but soon Jonathon's older brother, Samuel, begins to notice their behavior and tries to warn Nathaniel off. To make matters worse, Jonathan is betrothed which is a shock to him. The two men make plans to flee the area and find a life together out west away from the Puritanical strictures. Jonathan's wife announces that she is pregnant which kills the whole plan for happiness. I found the story interesting and very straightforward. There were no plot twists and turns that were surprising. It was easy to see the depth of the love between Nathaniel and Jonathan and while Jonathan came to love his wife I could feel that his love for Nathaniel never diminished. The story flowed well and though I disagree with the Puritan way of thinking it was depicted well. It was refreshing to see some of the younger people questioning what they wee being taught on the Sabbath. I found both Jonathan and Nathaniel to be likeable characters but not terribly developed. There was no HEA ending here but the book was worth the read just for some insight into history.

Very sweet and sometimes touching story about a young marine who lost his leg in Afganistan. I enjoyed the mental struggles that both Tate and Julian fought with.

This was another engaging book that should not have had to be written. Unfortunately, homophobia still runs strong in the U.S. Adam Davis and Brendan Fletcher are both NFL football stars at the top of their careers. They play for different football teams but manage to find a spark of interest in each other at a post game party. Both men are closeted and Adam is so much in denial that he thinks he's straight. The constant fear of being outed plagues Adam more than the more laid back Brendan but it's always in the back of their minds. The post season break spent at Brendan's Texas ranch allows the guys to live a normal life as a couple and gives the men the chance to chance to step up and help gay youth. The dynamics between Adam and Brendan are great and very well written. I felt like I knew both men. The quick getting together at the beginning of the story is tempered by the months spent at the ranch. O'Reilly did a good job of bringing out the real person behind the football star in the ranch scenes. While several people had problems with the end, I enjoyed it. It was like the two men finally found their lives and it left plenty of room for a sequel. This was a thoroughly enjoyable and sexy read.

free at jms today

Losing the ability to speak and with it the possibility of communication at a meaningful level, is an extremely scary thought. On a simple level this story is about a man and his speech therapist, who get to know and love each other as André recovers. The depth of feeling, burning need to communicate, and the loving understanding Ryan develops for André despite all the issues goes far beyond that which most couples ever experience. It may be because these men are more conscious of the effects of no/bad communication, or it may just be because of who they are. Either way, their story touched me deeply.

Ryan is a speech and language pathologist who likes his job. He is very involved and clearly cares about all his patients. He has also just gone through a breakup with a cheating boyfriend and isn’t really ready for another relationship. He is lonely though, and when André comes along, something just clicks. Yes, he is attracted to his patient, but there is more to it than the physical side. André’s courageous way of fighting to get back to ‘normal’ has something to do with it, but the man’s ability to express his feelings without words also plays a major role, I think.

André suffers an Arteriovenous Anomaly in the brain, resulting in a loss of speech and partial paralysis; they occur when an artery and vein join with few or no capillaries between them. The result is, in his case, a loss of speech and partial paralysis. There is just enough technical ‘jargon’ to explain what is going on, but the focus of the story is on the effect this his on him, his already bad relationship with his ex-wife, and the developing affair and relationship with Ryan. André’s desperation when he cannot say the words he wants to speak, not being understood while his brain is fully functional is heartbreaking. I loved his determination and willpower to keep trying.

I read this book when it first came out in 2009 and loved it. I was really happy to have an ‘excuse’ to read it again when it was re-released a few weeks ago. In many ways the romance is almost secondary; this story is about two lonely souls finding a connection. If you like stories about real problems and the men who learn to overcome them, and if deep emotions are something you like in your romance, you will probably like this book as much as I did.



NOTE: This book was provided by JMS Books for the purpose of a review on QMO Books.

Free short story. Bad editing. Story was really not believable and not very hot. Not horrible, just could have been much better.

I love a random hook up story and this was fantastic! Nervous married man looking for a bit on the side... what's not to love? I do wish I'd known this was so... unfinished before I read it, though. It's one chapter of a larger story which is kind of annoying when you're expecting a complete tale. I've added the longer story - Graffiti - to my wish list, though. This snippet left me wanting more!

2.5 stars. The MC was too stupid to live.

I was hoping that this was part of a series because it felt like we only got half the story here. Alas, it seems to be a one off.

After a bit of a rushed start to get the MCs together, this was a generally well paced read. I do think some of the smut could have been sacrificed for a bit more plot and character development, though.

I love a random hook up story and this was fantastic! Nervous married man looking for a bit on the side... what's not to love? I do wish I'd known this was so... unfinished before I read it, though. It's one chapter of a larger story which is kind of annoying when you're expecting a complete tale. I've added the longer story - Graffiti - to my wish list, though. This snippet left me wanting more!

2.5 stars. The MC was too stupid to live.

I love this book and have read it several times. Its a really sweet story between two men who were married and run into conflicts when they admit they're gay.

David has grown kids who have to accept that their father could still love their mother and be gay. And after Andrew wife finds out he is gay, his life falls apart. This is the story of how they meet and fall in love. I highly recommend this touching story.

Jesse Jamison is in love with Dennis Christopoulos. Jesse is a rep for a textbook publisher and Denny is a flight attendant with a job that keeps him on the go and away from home a lot. Jesse is looking for a long-term commitment, while Denny's not sure if he wants a commitment with Jesse, or his rich older lover, Carter. And then there's Nicholas Warden, the new neighbor.O'Reilly's latest tale of gay love makes for a nice read with a little sex and some relationship troubles. You think you know what's going to happen with the first page ~ four guys involved in two separate relationships! There's bound to be trouble and someone's going to end up with heartbreak. O'Reilly's dialogue is believable, as is the storyline. The story could be peopled by gay, lesbian, or straight couples. Second Thoughts is all about developing relationships based on honesty and what happens when lies and deceptions enter the picture.Jesse, the main character of the novel thinks he's in love with someone he wants to share the rest of his life with, but he's fantasizing about his new neighbor in the first scenes of the story. Denny, who clearly has something to hide, doesn't quite fit into Jesse's life. For one thing, he's gone all of the time, and has a lover on the side. He also is not real fond of Shelby, the family dog. As you read the story, you wonder how these two ever got together. They seem to have little in common but nice sex. And then there's Nick, the new neighbor.Nick seems to share the same interests as Jesse and has his own pet dog, Clyde. Nick's a school teacher, a job Jesse once held. He's at home most nights, he and Jesse get along great together, and their dogs, well-Shelby and Clyde are best friends!You can see several of O'Reilly's plot twists coming, and Angela, the young female character seems a little too all knowing and relationship-wise for a girl of her age. The pace of Second Thoughts is nice, but unfortunately, the novel doesn't generate a great deal of heat.More reviews from Barb Manning are available at www.barbmanning.net

Lee Masters, a handsome young cowboy, is fired from his cattle drive when his sexual orientation is discovered. Frustrated and angry, he rides to a mountain lake where he meets a Dakota native named Tatanka, who is also exiled from his tribe for refusing to adhere to tribal custom for braves who prefer men to women. They strike up a friendship, which readily turns to love. Their family is completed when a young Indian, Sleeps With Dogs, insists they take him with them on their search for a home.

Their quest to find acceptance in either the white man's world or the native population is a difficult journey. Can two men who love each other find a place in the harsh reality of the western wilderness, or will they always be walking in two worlds?
A white man and an Indian, both rejected by their worlds, strive to find a place together and the end of the nineteenth century when turmoil was erupting in the west. The indian was being pushed into reservations and treated badly by the white man.
It's a harsh world for these two, only looking for a place in the sun where they can freely express their love and live their lives.
The Author really makes these character's believable and makes you root for them.
I really enjoyed this historical western romance.½

A nice and unexpectedly romantic short story, I mostly liked it since it presents ordinary characters and not “romance” heroes. Kenny is a small town boy who left home soon after high school upon realizing that being gay and living in a small town was not a good combination. But to take care of his mother he came back and now, even if his mother is gone, he has not yet found the way back to city. I think he is waiting a push, some reason as important as his mother to change again his life.

Kenny has never really fallen in love; he thinks that what he needs is sex, but instead I think that what he needs, who he needs his someone he cares for. When sexy bike rider Jonas stops at Kenny’s garage to tune up his Harley, to Kenny he is like a wet dream comes to live; truth be told, from Kenny’s description, I think Jonas would be not my type, but I’m not Kenny of course; slightly older, clad in leather and with a sexy and self-confident attitude, it doesn’t take long for Jonas to drag Kenny back to Kenny’s place and have his way with him.

I will not go further, enough to say that the end is not what I was expecting, and that it saved Jonas’s imagine to my eyes. There is a very romantic, very movie style ending, that I’m sure the more romantic readers will love, and in the meantime, for who is searching a sexy break, Tune Up is that and more.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004G094JI/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

I remember that, when I read One Night in December, I liked it a lot but I did wonder if it was really possible such pink glasses perspective. I also remember a very polite email from the author, Terry O’Reilly, explaining how the plot was not so far from his own personal experience, and so proving me that, yes, sometime dreams come true.

Andy was not gay; David was officially a straight widower, unofficially a married gay man in the closet, and basically without sex at all since the death of his beloved wife. David really loved his wife, but he has also always had sexual desires for other men, even when he was married, and now that he is a more than 40 years old widower, he fell in love for another man, Andrew. Andy is not replacing his wife, their relationship is completely different, as it’s completely different the life they are sharing: in the end, passing the middle of his life (Dante said 35 years old is the middle of one path’s life), David changed it completely.

In a way the same happened to Andrew, even if he is not as old as David; he fell in love with David not since he is a man but since he is the one who helped Andrew when no one else would. Andrew’s love moved from gratitude to passion in a smooth and natural way, and in this second chapter of their life, it’s Andrew who takes the role of the mainstay. Andrew seems to be more comfortable in his new role of gay husband, step-father of a gay teenager kid and even grand-dad of a whole bunch of children (David’s grandsons and granddaughters). Moreover, even if Andrew is more or less same age with David’s sons and daughters, he seems to be more comfortable with their May/December relationship than David, and he is the one who takes the idea of getting married with more enthusiasm than David, even if David agrees to that.

The novel is like a series of vignettes in their life; the plotline is very long, but the years seem to pass in a blur: chapter after chapter we read about summers, Thanksgivings and Christmases together, and through them all, David and Andrew have to face the classical issues of a family bringing up a kid; the first sexual explorations, the first questions. But it’s not only serious issue that we read about, there are also stupid little things like trying to find a way to have quality time together when respective works and hobbies seem to overtake all your time. Even if the even in the title, the gay wedding, happens almost at the beginning of the novel and it seemed to be over almost too soon, the author indeed is going through the wedding vows all along: “I take you to love for the rest of my life. I will rejoice with you in good times. I will suffer with you in bad. I will take care of you if you are sick as you have done for me. I will stay with you no matter what happens in our lives."

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1453699910/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

I like the little bit of personal life details Terry O’Reilly sometime introduces in the stories: in this case it’s a news on the paper about an homeless man who died for exposure in a particularly cold winter; what could have been if someone had stopped and offered him help? That is what David does for Andrew.

David is a more or less 50 years old widower living in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He had a plenty a satisfying life as a married man and father of 4 kids; satisfying above all since his wife knew about him being gay and conveniently closed both eyes in front of his “escapades”. To the reader David reports he was in love with his wife and that he went with men only for sex, but I found it difficult to believe, my idea is that David was simply not in love with his wife, but probably had a strong friendship and common interests, i.e. their family and life together as perfect parents.

But once his wife died, David has accomplished his task as perfect parent, and now maybe he wants something for himself. And Andy, the homeless guy with the beautiful blue eyes is like the answer to his prayers; truth be told, in an ordinary situation, middle age David would have probably had not so many chances with around thirty Andy, but Andy is on a downfall, he lost his wife, his job and his life and now has no option open in front of him. Yes, I’m probably a little hard with David and Andy, I’m not saying David is for Andy the last chance, but what I probably believe is that, being deprived of everything allowed Andy to reconsider his life.

The story is probably a little bit too optimistic, and sometime I found it a bit too “gay”: not only David and Andy were gay, but also one of David’s sons and also another relative I cannot say to not spoil the story… all in a family. But aside for the that, I truly enjoyed that the story spans for a long period of David and Andy’s life together, giving the reader plenty of time and chances to know them better. Actually at the beginning I thought it was strange, they seemed to rush into their relationship, almost from the first moment they met and I did wonder how the author would have filled all the following pages. The answer is easy, this is not only the story of how they met, but also of the aftermath of that meeting and the life they build together and also a little glimpse in their far away future.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1453699953/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

I really liked this short story, and don’t worry romantic reader, it’s not as dramatic as it could seem.

Derrick and Cooper have a good relationship, the problem is that Derrick is living 250 miles far away from Cooper and they can meet more or less once a month. But they love each other and they committed to do everything is necessary to make the relationship work. Also for this reason Derrick wants to make as much time as possible with Cooper the past weekend and when he leaves on Sunday night it’s heavily snowing. On the way back home, Derrick has a car accident and he dies on the spot, only that Derrick’s spirit seems unable to leave Cooper as his body did. Derrick goes back to Cooper’s cabin and he starts a vigil on the mourning man while at the same time re-living all their past good memories.

It’s for sure a story with an high emotional impact but I liked that the author didn’t push too much on the drama: Cooper is mourning, and of course he is hurting, but his pain is “contained” and above all, even if in pain, he is able to make his own good choices, like when he refuses Derrick’s best friend’s attempts to “comfort” him. Derrick on the other hand has the chance to see their love story from the outside, to understand that, if he is in a relationship, he has to consider not only his own good, but also that of Cooper; if he has to take a decision, the decision will impact his future but also Cooper’s.

The sex scenes, that are hot, but in a way at the same level of “comfort” as all the story, meaning that they are not merely gym exercises, are almost all in the past: Derrick is thinking back to their moment together and the sex is a good share of that thinking. In the present it’s more him watching Cooper from afar, and even if something Cooper can “feel” Derrick, the story never falls into the easy trap of the paranormal story, as strange as it can sound, even if Derrick is indeed a ghost, this is not a paranormal romance and also the happy ending will be logic and “ordinary”.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004A14QLY/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

This is only a short story but really romantic, even if in a mainly way (the way that says boys don’t cry and so on). Danny is a nice young man searching for Mr Right but not against the idea to spend time with Mr Right Now in the meantime; he frequents a nice gay club, Frank’s Place, a nightclub with rooms to rent if you want to play, nice, classy and clean. When Danny goes to Frank’s he is not always searching for sex, he has also always the hope that maybe that is the right night, the night that is changing his life. But this night maybe is not the one, the only available man is at the opposite of Danny usual hook-ups and of the imagine Danny has of his Mr Right; Danny is more for an executive white collar, Al is more an hunky blue collar. But for a one-night stand he is more than perfect.

But when Danny approaches Al, the result is totally unexpected: Al is a tormented soul, he is almost afraid of his desires, if he wasn’t so good in bed someone could think he is a virgin to man on man sex. With a lot of patience and a little of persuasion, Danny manages to bring Al in one of the upstair rooms, and the following encounter is good for both of them. Al is as caring and gentle in bed as he was sitting and chatting, he makes Danny feeling good, and even if it’s only for one night, loved. The morning after Danny is unable to forget Al, but apparently also Al is unable to forget something or someone, that is preventing him to have a long-term relationship.

This is a seasonal romance, even if the author didn’t push to much on this point: maybe Al’s loneliness was more acute due to the approaching festivities, maybe Danny himself was more open to possibilities; but even if the ace was not played, in any case there is a bit of seasonal magic in the story, and it was a nice contrast with the type of story. Frank, the owner of the gay club, is a really nice character, a man who owns a cruising bar, with adjoning rooms by the hour, but who is basically playing the role of the fairy matchmaker.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0045OUGXI/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

Finding the Words is a nice book since I found that the characters are real thanks to their many faults.

Ryan is a speech therapist in an University Medical Center. He is recovering from a broken heart: his younger lover (Ryan is 35 years old, Jeff is 25) for the umpteenth time cheated on him, and even if Ryan still loves him, this time he isn't willing to forgive. The strange thing is that the author manages to not give nor to Ryan or to Jeff the fault of the breakup. On his way, Jeff loves Ryan, only that he is really convinced that monogamy is not for men; even if from my point of view he is on the wrong side, it's clear that the author didn't want to make him a negative character, and after all, from what we are able to see of Jeff, he is really a nice guy. Maybe this is the reason why Ryan is not able to forget and forgive, he is really in love with Jeff and for him love means exclusivity. Again, it's strange, I'm all for Ryan's point of view, but the way he shut down Jeff in a way made me more sympathetic for Jeff than for Ryan. And then, even if with a broken heart, Ryan is more than willing to fall in love again so soon, Jeff's side of the bed is still warm! Well, lucky him that he finds so soon a good man.

Andre is a patient of the hospital; a divorced men with two grown son, at 46 years old he is just getting used to live alone again. And then the health issue that leave him with a body and speech handicap. Apparently Andre is a very nice character, he is almost cute when trying to speak again, and even if he is older than Ryan, he has to lean on the man for almost everything, and this makes him even more cute. But there is something more behind Andre, I'm not totally sure that he is a really strong man, even when he was in full body capacity. Andre was married, but he had doubt on his sexuality; maybe he was not exactly in the closet, he has never had homosexual experience, but he was curious. He even planned to met with a man when he was still married... all right, Andre's wife is not exactly the epitome of nice woman, but still, I don't know if I like so much a man that was willing to cheat on his wife. In a way, Andre is not so different from Jeff, and Ryan decided to leave Jeff.

But maybe between Ryan and Jeff there were also other problems and the cheating was only the more evident. I have the feeling that Ryan always doubted on the possibility to have a future with Jeff, deep inside him he knew that Jeff was not the one. And instead I didn't feel the same when Ryan is with Andre. True, Andre maybe is not perfect, but so is Ryan; as I said the story is interesting just for this reason.

Another strange thing is the apparently lack of sex even if the story is pretty erotic. Ryan is a very 'physical' man, he has naughty thing, and he has no problem to take care of himself when he is in need. So we have a lot of solo sex scene, but in the end not even one with Ryan. Ryan's relationship with Andre is very intimate and tender, but not sexy; erotic maybe, but not naughty. All in all the story is not too dramatic, but neither light: being Andre inexperienced with men, it would have been easy for the author to put one or two sex scene with a naughty core, and instead he decided to leave the mood of the story to a more chaste level, almost familiar. In a way Ryan and Andre's love is mature and comfortable, like it's probably right for their age (more Andre than Ryan).

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001VT3L1Y/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

In Awakening, the previous book in this historical series, Terry O'Reilly fooled me. He wrote a book with a not happily ever after true to history ending, and, as afterword, he wrote also a little quarrel scene, between him and his husband, in which he supported the rightness of his decision and instead Drew, his husband, warned him that the fans would be not happy. And I was not happy, but I understood his reason, I only wished that in the sequel, Nathaniel wouldn't find another man to replace Jonathan in his heart.

And for a moment, I almost feared that it was exactly what it was happening. Nathaniel went toward North, in the wild territory of Ohio, with Robert, his cooper's apprentice. Robert is a young man that is obviously in love with Nathaniel, but the older man is still in love with Jonathan, even if he knows that there is no future for them. But still in his heart he hopes in the impossible. Then comes a letter from Jonathan, a letter in which Jonathan asks to his lover to go on with his life, to forget him. And Nathaniel tries, he forces himself to accept Robert's love, even if not fully. He shares his life, home and bed with Robert, but he never arrives to share the same intimacy he had with Jonathan. And Robert, who in his young naivety, has eyes only for the man, accepts this second-hand love and thinks he can be happy with that. But years later another letter arrives, a letter in which Jonathan announces that his wife is passed away. He is not saying that he wants Nathaniel back, but still, probably in Nathaniel's heart that little hope in the impossible comes again alive and he slowly withdraws inside himself and far from Robert's comforting love.. At the same time Robert, being half Native American, is recruited against his will as interpreter for the English Army and forced to leave Nathaniel for months. He has the chance to meet another man, a full blood Native American, and also to see how his life could be in an Shawnee village, where he hasn't to hide his love for another man: in the north settlement where he lives with Nathaniel, their love was accepted like a unavoidable evil, with no woman around, what they could do? but with Red Horse he finally experiment a full life, not only since he is accepted by all the people around, but also since he is the first man in the warrior's heart. But Robert's heart is divided, like it was Nathaniel's one: can he fully love Red Horse, when he doesn't know what his life with Nathaniel could be if the man finally forget his long lost previous lover?

I like the story since it's a complicated but well mixed three way plot: Robert and Nathaniel, their life in the north settlement, a love that maybe is not passion, but that could be a long and loving relationship; Robert and Red Horse, a new love, not only since it's the first time Robert feels real passion, but also since they live free from the society boundaries: and finally, but not less important, Drew and Terry: more than in the previous book, Terry O'Reilly makes the fictional characters of him and his husband, real main characters of the story; not only Drew influences Terry's decision on the plot, we can also see how Terry's past experience are reflected in the story. And again, the sub-story of Terry and Drew is so interesting that it almost steals the scene to the main one.

As you can imagine, thanks to the setting far from the 'civil' society and the boundaries of living in it, this time there is an happily ever after ending (even if I will not say between whom). It's not a forced ending, since probably, in that time, it was the decision of a lot of men who couldn't live in any other place if not in the wilderness, where probably no one would judge them for searching 'male' companionship.

I was uncertain on this book, I liked the previous one and I was fearing to be disappointed by a sequel: there were little chance for the author to write something I could like. Well, he managed to, and I strongly recommend to read both books, above all if you are a romantic at heart like me.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001TKD4MQ/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

When you are writing a hay historical romance, you can face the matter in two ways: as a romantic, and build an happily ever after for your heroes, and as a prosaic, and be true to the history that not let your heroes to be together.

If you don't like to have major spoiler in the story, stop here and don't read on, since I really thought on what to write on this story, but if I don't say some salient point, you will end not liking the story, and instead I think that this book is worth your time.

In the previous book I read by this author, Mr O'Reilly (I didn't know he was a male, not that matter, but maybe this could explain this last book) was a romantic: his nineteen century white man manages to be happy ever after with his Native American lover. True they are both wandering men without a family or a society to call their own, and so maybe they have less binding with the world.

In this book instead Jonathan is a school teacher and Nathaniel a master cooper, and they both live in the puritan society of Newburyport; how can these two men be together? As the same author said in the afterword 'Homosexuals back in the Puritan era couldn’t live like we can now', and with 'we' he means himself and his husband Drew. Drew is the romantic in the couple and he is not happy of Terry's decision to be 'honest and true-to-life', he thinks that 'the gay men and straight women who buy your books will like you ending it like that'... I'm called in? yes I think so. Yes, you are right Drew, I didn't like the end, but I see also Terry's point... how could he write something different? true, he could be romantic also this time, Jonathan could leave all he knew, his family, his work, and live as beau savage in the wilderness... how many men probably did the same? But how many instead give up to what society asked them? Probably more.

Jonathan and Nathaniel are in love, but they are not long time lover; the book starts with Nathaniel that is deflowering Jonathan... and the 'ing' verbal form is actually right, since we are plunged in the middle of the action, when there is no return way... Nathaniel and Jonathan meet a day, like a lightning in a clear day they find themself soulmates and the same night Nathaniel (who is a bit more experience than Jonathan, but not so much) shows to Jonathan what he is searching all his life, but his puritan upbringing didn't allow him to find. And the day after Jonathan's father announces to his son that he is betrothed and soon-to-be married to the daughter of a business partner. I was just dreading a seventeenth century menages, when the author decided to be 'honest and true-to-life', and truth be told, better not having my happily ever after than having a half-way convenient ending.

And now remember what I said at the beginning, the book is worth your time, Jonathan and Nathaniel's love story is sweet and tender, Nathaniel is really a gentle character, so open and sincere. Jonathan maybe is only naivee, young and with a lot of road under his shoes still to take; yes, I believe that he is in love with Nathaniel, but maybe not so much and deeply as Nathaniel himself.

In the end two pleas to the author: even if I heart for Nathaniel, don't write a sequel only to please 'the gay men and straight women who buy your books' :-) and instead, consider to write your own story, Terry and Drew's love story; if it's a real story, it's really good, and instead if it's fiction, it's really good as well!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001LDTIZI/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

First of all let me say that I like this book, is not what I was expecting but I like it.

It's an historical and this was not so clear reading the blurb. It's setting more or less at the end of the nineteen century, when Native Americans where pushed in reserves to let space to the settlers. Lee is a cowboy without a place: he likes men and he made the huge mistake to be discovered with another man; he lost his work and he was lucky to not lose his life. He wanders till he finds a nice place to set for the summer, a mountain plain near a lake. The very first day he also meets Tatanka, a Dakota who left his tribe for the same reason: Tatanka is a two spirits, he likes men. For the custom of his tribe he has two choice: being a warrior and marry a woman, or choosing to be a two spirits, and maybe being the second or third wife of a warrior; but if he chooses this second option, he will have to behave like a woman, dress as a woman and do the things of women. Tatanka is not a woman, he wants to be a man with a man, and so he chose to be alone, until he meets Lee.

They are happy during their summer, but with winter they need to make a choice. They first try to live with Tatanka's tribe, then in an English settlement: everytime they are men walking in two worlds, they never find the right place to live, where they can really stay together and love each other.

I like this book since probably for the first time I read both point of view of the two cultures. Usually the white man who was rejected from the civilized world, is embraced by the Native Americans who welcome him as a Two Spirits, a good sign for the village. But we never know how his life could be in that village. The theory of Walking in Two Worlds is more or less than in every world there is the right and the wrong, in every world Lee and Tatanka could live more or less without problem, but in neither world thay could be really what they are. In a world with structure and custom, they need to follow the rules settled before them, they need to respect others belief. If they are not ready to do so, they need to build their own world.

I like Tatanka, even if he is probably like the good savage our culture would like to find: a man with a strong culture, but with an open mind ready to listen to and accept other cultures; he is clever, but he is not a man of much word. He is more ready than Lee to follow his nature and his feelings, but he is also very cautious, and maybe a bit too bound to traditions. Lee maybe is more careless, but he is capable of great love; he is generous and friendly, maybe even a bit too much... he loves Tatanka, but he is not blind and he 'sees' the other men.

All in all I believe that this is a very good western historical romance, don't know if it's historically accurate, but in the romance side it don't lack anything.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001JIWF5U/?tag=elimyrevandra-20