Reviewed by Danielle
TITLE: Blue River
AUTHOR: Theo Fenraven
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 92 pages
BLURB: Photography genius Ethan Mars is out and living the fast life in Los Angeles until a mysterious mist in Topanga Canyon sends him back in time. There he meets Quinn Parker, a farmer who has hidden his homosexuality from everyone, even Margaret, his fiancée. Falling in love is the last thing Ethan expects, and the last thing Quinn can allow—in 1863, being gay can get him killed. When Ethan is unexpectedly offered a way home, he faces an impossible decision: go back… or stay?
REVIEW:
This is a 2nd, more extended edition of this story and I hadn’t read the first edition so it was new for me.
After a rough start to get into it, I found myself getting swept up by the impressive, all-consuming way of storytelling by this author.
It is easy to get familiar with the characters. Ethan seems such a fast guy but adapts quite easily to his new living arrangements and Quinn he is so adorable and sweet, learning things while getting to know Ethan.
Even Quinn’s sister is a pleasure to get to know just because of the fact she personalizes a character from that period of time. And because she is so different than her brother. You can see the author work hard and researched the time period well.
This story isn’t long and it moves at a good pace. You get acquainted with the characters quickly but steadily and you learn a lot in a couple of pages. For me the way Quinn learns from Ethan about his feelings, his struggle to allow himself to feel like that for Ethan is the most fascinating and enthralling part of this story.
It is nice to read how Ethan adapts as well, how he learns about simple things. The end without spoiling too much is perfectly written . The struggle when Ethan faces the choice is very well portrayed by the author.An I have to say that in a way you get surprised even by the ending. I liked that a lot.
If I have one point of criticism, I would have to mention that I would have liked to have seen more at the end. I would have loved to see how Ethan and Quinn would adapt and continue on. Also there is a focus on first times and in a way it feels like something is missing there. It is not disturbing or anything but for me it could have been there and made the story more complete..
In the end I have to say I really liked this short story. It makes you feel connected to the characters in an comfortable way and the writing of Mr Theo Fenraven is definitely a pleasure to experience. The story is well built, reads easily and is extremely well-written.
A solid 4 stars from me.
Danielle rates it – 
BUY LINKS: Dreamspinner Press
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Danielle is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.
To read all her reviews, click the link: DANIELLE’S REVIEWS
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