Reviewed by Kat

TITLE:  Reunion

SERIES: Reunion #1

AUTHOR:  JJ Harper

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH:  124 pages

RELEASE DATE: January 13th, 2016

BLURB:

M/M Novella

Because love deserves a second chance.

After being cast out by his family, Nico leaves his home town and his one true love Ryan behind. A meeting of a fellow outcast leads him down a dark and ultimately dangerous road. Discarded and left for dead, Nico is found by a man who helps him turn his life around, but even with success and fame Nico is lost without his love by his side.

The chance sighting of a Ten Year School Reunion on a social media site gives him the excuse to return home. He needs to apologize to the man he still loves, hoping Ryan will accept it. Deep down he wants Ryan back but imagines him married to a man who deserves him, not a coward that ran.

The ache for Ryan has been so strong and so real it has taken every ounce of strength I have to keep away, to let him lead his life without me. With me being a deadbeat, a loser and no good for anyone. Or so I’ve been told.’

Ryan retires from the army after the death of his mother, settling down again in his home town and his new life as a cop. Still single, his heart has always belonged to the one man he wasn’t able to keep. As the reunion gets closer Ryan searches for his man’s name as the list of attendees grows…

It’s there…Nico Angeles. He’s coming, he’s coming home!’

Will they be able to forget the past or has the last ten years apart been too long?

Warning: Contains explicit hot gay sex and strong language.

Intended for audiences over 18 years of age

REVIEW:

This is another new-to-me author. I had been hearing about this new novella coming out and I am a huge sucker for second chance romances. After reading the blurb I just knew I had to read it. One of the things I could never fathom is a parent/parents totally abandoning their child because they come out to them. This is the baby you carried for nine months and the child that you have nurtured and raised for 18 years. Both of these men seemed to have been only children. I have such a hard time thinking that someone could just “flip a switch” on their emotions in one moment after their child reveals they are gay to them. It’s just inconceivable to me  but, unfortunately, it happens all the time. I actually witnessed the after effect of it happen to former students of mine. Especially if they are 18 or older. They just discard the child because they no longer have legal responsibilities I guess. It sickens me.

Well, this story has the homophobic vibe running through out it. From irresponsible parents discarding their son to former high school football players classmates, Nico has had it in spades in his former town. He is returning home, after a ten-year absence, to attend his class reunion and to apologize to his best friend and former lover Ryan. He’s finally going to explain why he ran out on him without an explanation and had to leave without contacting him. Before he can even get to see anyone he is accosted by some of those homophobic former classmates. And guess who comes to his rescue, his former lover-turned-police officer, Ryan. I can’t think of a more horrible way to reconnect with the man you are still in love with than to have him come upon a scene where you are being beaten and about to be raped.

This story is one that truly got to me. First the throw-away child syndrome just makes my blood boil. Then, add in the closed-minded homophobic, small town way of thinking and I just want to throttle them all! These two men endured horrible hardships in their lives and lost ten years together because of other people, people who are suppose to love you unconditionally! Oh, and I almost forgot to mention how hot red-hot the sex in this was when they finally did reconnect. Steamy and fabulous, Ryan and Nico are perfect together! The only thing that did make me unhappy with this book was that this is a cliffhanger. I don’t do cliffhangers usually but so glad I did with his one! Can not wait for the next in this wonderful series to come out. I am really hoping that it will be soon. This is a huge must-read, especially if you are a fan of second chance love. Can’t say enough about how wonderful a story this was!

RATING: 

BUY LINK:

Amazon