Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: Crossroads: A Quest For Love
AUTHOR: James Lee Hard
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 159 pages
RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2017
BLURB:
Ethan has spent his entire life not wanting to admit that he’s gay. He didn’t feel like he had a choice. His mother has been clear, since he was a child, that she wouldn’t tolerate what she deemed deviant behavior. However, on the very day of his engagement dinner with Rachel, he realizes he can’t pretend any longer. When he tries to call off the wedding, though, Rachel hints that she’s known all along he was gay and threatens to kill him if Ethan does anything that jeopardizes their engagement.
Compelled to start his life anew and be true to himself, Ethan seeks shelter in his grandmother’s house, the only place he’s always felt happy and safe. It’s in this heartening background that he runs into Daniel, the son of the former property’s caretaker. Daniel is a lifelong fantasy of Ethan and someone he hasn’t seen in over thirteen years. Dan has grown into a big, strong man, a man’s man whom Ethan simply can’t resist.
Caught between a hurricane of new emotions and desires, his smothering mother, and Rachel’s threats, Ethan will have to find the strength to battle for his happiness.
Romance, ~50K words
WARNING
This book contains explicit sexual scenes as well as some graphic language. It is intended for a mature, adult audience.
REVIEW:
Being a fan of the author I jumped for his newest offering.
Ethan has been bullied by his homophobic mother his entire life. From a young age he can remember her ridiculing him for being a sissy for liking a doll a friend had left. Now he is stuck in a loveless farce of an engagement to hid from her the fact that he is gay. How awful. He literally can’t stomach the thought one more moment! He hastily leaves his own ridiculous engagement party and throws up! Now he realizes that he has to stop this charade and live his own life. But Rachel, his crazed fiancé will have nothing to do with him calling it off. When he does she literally threatens to end his life. So Ethan jumps in his car and drives to his comfort place, his grandmother’s farm. There he runs into the crush of his entire life, Dan. “Crossroads: A Quest For Love” is the story of Ethan’s coming to the realization that he needs to live his life as he feels, not what his evil, controlling mother wants.
Ethan made my heart hurt. A mother is suppose to love and want the best for their child not make them literally sick to their stomach with worry and fear. Thank goodness he has his loving grandmother who see right though her despicable excuse for a daughter. I adored Anne! She was the light that Ethan had guiding him to safety and love. I loved that she adored and loved both Dan and Ethan and she wasn’t afraid to speak out about it. And the fact that if she thought she said something she thought was wrong or needed to be clarified she did it.
My only problem with the book was that, at times, it seemed to drag a bit. I know that I can be an impatient reader sometimes and want the plot to hurry up. The author does a great job of building up the suspense and setting everything up for the relationship to bloom between these two somewhat reluctant men. But there were a couple of times when I just wanted it to move a bit faster. That being said, the book was very thoughtful and caring in the building of Ethan and Dan’s relationship and friendship.
Another good book by the wonderful author James Lee Hard. I can’t wait for his next one.
RATING: 
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