Reviewed by Sarina
TITLE: Lines in the Sand
AUTHOR: Lyn Gala
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 144 pages
RELEASE DATE: June 14, 2011
BLURB:
Three years ago, Carl Ragar turned on the mob. His conscience couldn’t handle the murder of an innocent bystander, and he had to turn his back on his mentor, Petroc “Pete” Barbu, a man he’d admired and lusted after. Pete made no apologies for his job as an enforcer, but he’d never planned to get himself or Carl involved in the murder of a reporter. When Carl turned state’s evidence, Pete couldn’t even pretend to be surprised.
Now Pete’s still on the run, and Carl is unceremoniously dumped out of witness protection. Two men tangled in their own pasts, they will have to face the shifting moral lines in the sand that drove them to make disastrous choices. Once Pete and Carl were partners who trusted each other with their lives-now they’re struggling to save their souls.
REVIEW:
Three years after betraying the organization he worked for, Carl Ragar is right back where he started: a rundown little neighborhood in the back end of nowhere. When his former mentor tracks him down, Carl figures this is the end of the line for him but that if he has to get taken out by someone for his betrayal, he’d rather it be at the hands of the one person he actually cared about. Pete Barbu has made a lot of mistakes in his life but is determined to make at least a few of them right. He’s never blamed Carl for turning traitor and when he finally manages to track him down and finds out the other man has basically given up on living, he makes the decision to take him home. Lines have a way of shifting, however, and both men will have to decide just how far the lines of loyalty and morality extend.
The blurb is what caught my attention with this story; ex-mafia men finally acknowledging their feelings for one another while on the run from the cops and others that want them dead? Yes please! I found that while the premise was great, however, that the execution was a little lack luster, unfortunately. I did like the characters quite a bit; you learn about them both more through remembered memories and conversations about the past, which I kind of liked since you could see who they were now while comparing them to who they each were then. Pete comes off as a total hard ass but time, and Carl, have blunted his edges somewhat and you get to see, over the course of the story, just how much he’s changed. What I liked best about that was that the changes were gradual right up until you get smacked in the face right alongside Pete with the evidence that he really isn’t the man he used to be. Carl was pretty obviously the softer touch in the relationship but while he’s ideas about right and wrong have fluctuated over the years, his willingness to go for what he wants has stayed the same; I liked how the two men fit together though I do wish I could’ve seen more of them before everything fell apart.
Now, as for the story itself, like I said, I loved the premise but the story I got wasn’t the one I was expecting. I honestly expected there to at least be a little bit of action bearing in mind that both men are on the run from various others and with them both being ex-mafia, I was really looking forward to some kind of confrontation. Alas, it was not to be, however. There is actually a blatant lack of action in the book as the focus is more on the main characters and how they’ve changed over the years. I did enjoy that, don’t get me wrong, its just that I’m having a bit of trouble identifying what, exactly, the plot was here.
This was, essentially, a very low key, easy read about two men moving on from their pasts. I enjoyed the story for what it was but I also came away a bit disappointed at the end because there just wasn’t more to it. If you enjoy low angst stories with a type of redemption theme, you might enjoy this but anyone looking for a bit more excitement probably won’t.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
I love this book. I re-read it all the time 🙂