Reviewed by Tidal

TITLE: In Sickness and In Health 

SERIES: Terminal #1

AUTHOR: Jason Nichols

PUBLISHER: Lazy Beagle Entertainment

LENGTH: 148 pages

BLURB:

David has been HIV positive for four years now. His friends and family keep walking away from him. He grows bitter and lonely and sinks into a depression so low he is determined to just fade away and die.

Louis is the father of two sons and is raising them alone after his husband died three years before. Out with friends one night he lays eyes on David.

Together the two begin a whirlwind journey through life. Love, marriage, children, and tragedies along the way fill their lives. Can David let go of the feelings from the past and move forward and love? Can Louis’s heart survive this relationship? Being terminal is no longer an obstacle to love.

REVIEW:

I cannot think of the last book that made me cry. There have been some but not many. This book could have easily come across like a badly written B movie, but the remarkable story telling makes this a wonderful tale!

David has HIV and has been living in a self-imposed exile of guilt and shame. He goes to the bar, has his beers, sits alone and does not bother anyone that is how he likes it.

Louis sees him at the bar, sitting alone. He tries to make conversation and David tells him right off that he wants to be left alone. Louis is relentless. David gives in to see him again just so he will go away.

This may sound familiar but two things make this story special and fresh. Louis does not treat David with pity, or try to save him; he also is NOT one of those sanctimonious people who go out looking for people to fix like a project. For anyone who has ever been on the receiving end of that sort of mercy and pity knows how offensive it is. Louis does none of that. He treats David with dignity.

Louis owns a ranch, and has two children. David is a veterinarian. With great caution and care, the men develop a friendship that grows into love. David has been victimized but he does not have a victim mentality. David comes to live at the ranch and continue his practice. Louis and his family help David as he heals from his trauma.

David’s arrival to his present state is told with great compassion without making excuses. Louis has his children, as well as a bunch of ranch hands that live on the property. The men blend David into their family and he becomes part of their tribe.

One of Louis’ greatest attributes is that of a father. He was fair, stern, and not a bully. He is all the things that one would expect in a loving father who is not perfect to be like. Many gay men have not experienced this and to see it demonstrated by a gay man is empowering.

The sex scenes are gritty and realistic. The relationship between David and Louis is beautifully written. There is a balance of tension, action, and tenderness. I loved the pace of the book. The story did not drag at all. There is sexual violence in the book but it is handled in an honest non-gratuitous manner.

It is a very emotional story. As I sat to write the review I was stunned to realize In Sickness and In Health packed so much story in a small amount of pages. In Sickness and In Health could have been a tear-jerker style soap opera but it wasn’t because of the carefully crafted storytelling.

The book left me with happy tears because it was kind and tender. I felt satisfied with the ending. I remember feeling much like I felt after watching the film Beaches in the theater for the very first time. It was like Gay Beaches but without Bette Midler. Honestly, this book is not cheesy. There is no self-pity, rescuing, co-dependency non-sense. There is a lot of love, character, integrity, and demonstrations of what true masculinity really looks like. I love this book.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS:

Amazon

ARe