Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: The Short Stories Collection

AUTHOR: Louise Lyons

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 135 pages

RELEASE DATE: January 31, 2018

BLURB:

In Darkest Peru
When shy and geeky Rhys White is ditched by his boyfriend of five years, and made redundant from his job in the space of one week, he decides to make some changes. Tired of being boring and hiding being his computer, he throws caution to the winds and buys a plane ticket to Peru.
The adventure in Peru starts out well, but then disaster strikes when the bus he is travelling on is held up by thieves. Rhys loses everything, including his passport, wallet, and phone.
Stranded in Cuzco, not too far from the famous Inca city of Machu Picchu, Rhys tries to find someone to help him. Just when he begins to lose hope, sexy Brazilian, Rafael, comes to his rescue, and his desperation situation takes a turn for the better.
One Snowy Night
After yet another failed date, Keith Brambles’ luck turns from bad to worse, as he tries to drive home in heavy snow and crashes his car. With no phone signal, no warm clothes, and the weather worsening, he fears freezing to death overnight.
But help is at hand in the form of a knight in a white van. Mike Talbot stops to help Keith, and takes him home to warm up—in more ways than one, when the pair’s mutual attraction kicks in.
Mike is everything Keith has ever dreamed of when he thinks of his ideal man. But can Mike really be Keith’s dream come true, or is their night together just another bit of fun?
Lost and Found
When author Philip Johnson loses his much-loved dog, Prince, he buries himself in the fantasy world of his latest novel. But as his heartbreak gradually lessens and he focuses more on the happy times he had with Prince, he realises the hole left in his life needs to be filled with a new puppy.
After responding to an advertisement for a young dog, Philip is surprised to find the owner is none other than Edward Manby, the very good-looking vet who took care of Prince in his last hours. Philip is delighted to discover his attraction to Edward is returned and despite the twenty-year age gap between them, their love for their pets brings them together and leads to romance.

REVIEW:

What a great collection of shorts. I really enjoyed these!!

In the first short, In Darkest Peru, Rhys has just lost his boyfriend of five years. Apparently the ass was cheating and was out of love with Rhys. Rhys also lost his job that same week. So he’s feeling down and lost. He tries to find more work only to be turned down. But upon gazing at his Paddington bear, which he wanted to throw away because of his ex, he decides he needs a change. And takes off for Peru. At first, it’s wonderful and all he imagined. Then on another trip, his bus is robbed and he is stranded. He meets Rafael and Rafael helps him until he can get to the Consulate. He gives him a few days of fun and passion and gives Rhys the courage and confidence to know he will make it. When he returns home, he misses Rafael, but he knows he was just a small affair. It’s time to move on with life. He finds a new job, better than the one before, gets rid of his crawling ex again, and decides a night out. Where he meets a man who is all he’s ever wanted. I loved this story. It was a reminder to me, that when life kicks you in the ass, keep strong and keep going. Hold on and believe things will turn out better. And take time for yourself.

One Snowy Night, Keith meets with a guy who wants a date. But the date turns awful when the guy just wants for who he is famous wise. Being a musician sucks sometimes. He was on his way home in misery at another failed date, when he hit a curve too fast in the snowstorm. He tries to correct the car but crashes in a tree. Not having warm clothes on or a blanket, he thinks life is going to be over, when someone comes to his rescue. A big, burly guy named Mike who drives a big white van. Which make him nervous thanks to dumbass homophobes. But something about Mike makes him feel all safe and secure and one thing leads to another. After a beautiful night, Keith thinks it’s over, but Mike wants more. Keith does too. And maybe, just maybe, Keith has finally found a man he’s been looking for. Maybe dreams do come true. A sweet little love story. I loved the softness and how sweet they are together.

And finally, in Lost and Found (which I think was my favorite because of the German Shepherds..heehee), we have another beautiful love story. This one hits at the heartstrings a bit from one main character, Edward, trying to start over as far as dating after losing his partner of 15 years to cancer. And the main characters meet when Phil loses his precious dog. Yes, i cried. Phil wakes up one morning and notices his beloved dog, Prince, isn’t there to greet him. He calls and rushes Prince to the vet, who is Edward. Edward does all he can, but he has to put Prince to sleep. Phil is lost to grief for weeks, but when the sun finally shines again, he decides it’s time for another dog. He finds one ad he’s interested in and finds out the puppy comes from Edward’s dog. Bonding over dogs, they get to know one another. Taking things slow and learning each other. Both realizing after a bit of time, they are what each other needs and wants. They just have to learn to work around life’s chaoticness. But love is worth fighting for.

RATING:   

BUY LINK:

amazon