Reviewed by Vicki

TITLE: Bluewater Blues 

SERIES: Bluewater Bay #15

AUTHOR: G.B. Gordon

PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing

LENGTH: 198 pages

RELEASE DATE: October 17th, 2016

BLURB:

Jack Daley left his music career behind—along with his domineering father—and is struggling to make a new life for himself and his autistic sister in Bluewater Bay. When a summer storm sweeps a handsome stranger into his general store, Jack is more than ready for a fling. No strings attached, because Jack can’t share the secrets he and his sister are hiding from. Unfortunately, his feelings refuse to stay casual.

Mark Keao is married to his job as a costume designer on Wolf’s Landing. He’s autistic, so he’s used to people not knowing how to interact with him, but that doesn’t mean he wants to be a hermit. Especially when he meets Jack Daley, who dances with brooms, shares his love of the blues, and gets him like no one else. But relationships have proven complicated in the past.

Just when Mark is ready to try anyway, Jack pulls back. But Mark isn’t giving up, and neither is Jack’s sister. And then there’s the music both men love, bringing them together time and again. It will take trust, though, to bring them together for good.

REVIEW:

I’ve only read a couple of books involving autistic characters, and I wasn’t sure how I would like this one. I have followed this series since book one, and was curious to read this new addition. G.B. Gordon did a fantastic job, both with the challenges of writing not one, but two characters with autism, and keeping with the feeling of the series. Well done!

Jack and his sister Margaret are hiding in Bluewater Bay, Washington, the site of the filming of the television show Wolf’s Landing. Jack has recently purchased a small grocery store in town, which includes a living space. We gradually learn about their past, which has them hiding. I won’t give anything away, but something bad happened at home, and Jack took Margaret, who is autistic, and ran. Eventually ending up in Bluewater Bay. It was a challenging time on the road for Margaret, and both are happy to settle in to a new routine. Jack does miss his music though, he was an accomplished sax player, and was forced to sell his instrument to provide more traveling money. He’s a bit lonely, but reluctant to get involved, since he doesn’t want to draw attention to himself or Margaret. But…. he is quite attracted to the tall, dark, and handsome man that stops by his store to ask about putting a poster in his window. Jack and Margaret attend the choir event on the poster, and with the help of Margaret, Jack and Mark begin to get to know each other.

Mark it turns out, is also autistic, but able to function fairly well, within his limits. He’s a costume designer for Wolf’s Landing, and although he does have some issues with crew members, he’s able to work at what he loves. He wants to become involved with Jack, as the two get to know one another, but has very clear boundaries. He does not like to be touched, even though he turns out to be a sensual lover, once he is clear with Jack what his boundaries are. The two have a bit of an up and down relationship at first, but after some rough conversations sort themselves out.

I was very impressed with the skill that G.B. wrote this story. The perspective switches back and forth between Mark and Jack, I love that way of writing. We get to see in the minds of each character. Having such a strong side character can sometimes be an issue, but he got the balance with Margaret just right, she’s there and a part of the story, but not enough to detract from the main story of Jack and Mark. Jack balances his focus between the needs of his sister, and his need to find love in a perfect way. I loved the background story that comes out about Jack and Margaret, and I was pleased to see how it was resolved. How can I say this without giving it away…. their past comes up in a way that is resolved, but doesn’t interfere with their current lives in a detrimental way. I loved how the past story comes out slowly over time, with Mark being willing to accept Jack as he is, with no explanation needed. But then when it does come out, Mark just accepts and moves on. Mark is a great character, he stays a little mysterious, we get some of his history, but not much. I loved that Jack was able to accept Marks limitations and find ways to work with him. They are able to make love just fine, with Mark doing the touching. They figure out a way to spend the night together, and have a life together eventually. Jack is the perfect person to love Mark as he is, without a fuss, since he’s lived with Margaret her whole life. I loved that music plays a part of this story, and Mark is able to give Jack a big part of his life back.

So I really liked this story on its own, but also as a part of the overall series. You could probably read this one on its own, there are some characters and locations from past books in here, but nothing that would detract from this story if you don’t know them. Most of the books in the series are like that, each a contained story, but set in a familiar world. It’s a great way to do a series, lots of authors contributing, but using a common setting. I don’t think I’ve read any other books by this author, I will need to go see what else he has written because this book was very well done.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS:

Riptide Publishing

Amazon

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