Reviewed by Taylor

TITLE: Homecoming

SERIES: Southern Honor #1

AUTHOR: Meredith Daniels

PUBLISHER: Samhain Publishing

LENTGH: 92 pages

BLURB: “Home is where his heart is once he recognizes what s in his heart.”

Broken in body, mind and spirit after a botched mission in Kuwait, elite Special Forces operative Jack Dresden returns to Devotion, Georgia, both dreading and longing to face his past. He left town on the receiving end of a wicked right hook thrown by the only person who ever made him feel he was right where he belonged.

Dillon Bluff was never good at pretending. Coming out right after high school, it hasn’t been easy dealing with the stigma of being gay in a small, Southern town. When he stumbles across Jack in the throes of a panic attack, one touch reignites the smoldering, hidden torch he’s always carried for his former best friend.

Jack knows he’s messed up, and the last thing he wants to do is hurt Dillon again. But Dillon is determined to take control and show Jack’s heart the way back home.

REVIEW:

This is a perfectly fine short.  I have to be honest, though.   I read this about a week or so I wrote my review and I literally could not remember a SINGLE thing about it.  And I think that sums it up overall.  Likable characters, good chemistry, and a straightforward plot that most will enjoy, but I don’t think will be memorable in the long run.

Jack Dresden has returned home for 6 weeks while in the military and he’s praying he doesn’t run into his former best friend and the love of his life.  At one point, Jack dated Stacey, Dillon Bluff’s sister.  But during and after this period Jack had always been in love with Dillon, the brave boy who had come out and stood by as the man he loved dated his sister and eventually left them both.

Jack’s return is light on the angst and Stacey is a breath of fresh air.  A woman who loves her brother more than anything and has always been wiser than either gave her credit for or imagined.  Jack has the typical family I’ve come to expect in m/m, which is disappointing.

My favorite scene in the whole book is when Dillon and Jack step outside from the party and a shirt is ripped open.  That scene felt honest and just enough edge.  The conflicting emotions from shame, lust, confusion etc. excited me and I wish more of the book walked that line.

Still, it’s a very sweet book, and I would probably read more from this series.  I do hope the next books are longer and get just a smidge nastier/grittier.

RATING:

BUY LINK: Samhain