Reviewed by Donna
TITLE: The Power of Two
AUTHOR: Leigh Vining
PUBLISHER: Supposed Crimes
LENGTH: 286 Pages
RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2018
BLURB:
Corey Preston has just opened his own gym. He should be proud, but frustrations with his family and his ex-boyfriend keep him from feeling fully secure.
Nick Sanders is running away from his life the old-fashioned way–hopping a train. With all his bridges burned and no idea where he’s headed or what he’ll find there, he ends up in Redding, California, and in Corey’s life.
Corey finds himself intrigued with the mysterious stranger, and hopes to forge a friendship with the young man with the boy next door charm and good looks. As Nick begins letting his guard down and sharing fragments of his life back home where he’d been living a lie and making choices he’s not proud of, Corey dreams of more. He falls fast for the handsome stranger, but Nick’s baggage and Corey’s chaotic life threaten to keep them from happiness.
REVIEW:
I loved the way that this story began, with Nick running through the streets intent on escaping his life, though just what he’s running to escape is a mystery that’s not shared until much later in the book. The idea of hopping a train and heading off to places unknown is so…decades ago, but the author successfully shares with us Nick’s love of trains, well, his love of the idea of just randomly selecting a train and starting life over, that his excitement and wonder are contagious. There was just something really innocent about that whole scenario that struck me straight in the heart.
Corey was also a great character, just a nice guy. He’s like one of those people that you couldn’t hate even if you wanted to. These two guys were simply perfect together. The only problem I had with their relationship was just how quickly it all came about. If it was just a whole lot of lust then I might have bought it, but their emotions got too deep too fast for me to accept. Having said that, looking beyond how quickly they do get together, the rest of their relationship was something I really enjoyed. It takes a while for Nick to share his secrets with Corey, but once he does, well heck, that was not at all what I was expecting! The author just completely threw that one out of nowhere, but surprisingly I liked that element of shock.
Plot wise, I think that the author did a great job of including lots of little issues while circling the major plot mystery of the robberies. Sometimes a book can become weighed down by one drama after another, or it can feel disjointed as the author tosses another problem in just to keep the plot going. Neither of those problems were evident here despite the number of troubles our characters seemed to be dealing with.
I think my only major complaint was Corey’s cousin Katie. What a complete noob! That character needed someone to give her a really hard shaking, and if it were physically possible then I’d be volunteering for the job. All I can say is it’s lucky this book wasn’t a murder mystery because Katie would have had victim #1 stamped on her forehead.
That one bonehead girl aside, I really enjoyed this story. The author has a very comfortable writing style that lets you just sit back and enjoy the journey.
RATING:
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