Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: Stranger in a Foreign Land
SERIES: Dreamspun Desires
AUTHOR: Michael Murphy
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 216 pages
RELEASE DATE: July 3, 2018
BLURB:
After an accident stole his memory, the only home American businessman Patrick knows is Bangkok. He recovers under the tender ministrations of Jack, an Australian ex-pat who works nights at a pineapple cannery. Together they search for clues to Patrick’s identity, but without success. Soon that forgotten past seems less and less important as Jack and Patrick—now known as Buddy—build a new life together.
But the past comes crashing in when Patrick’s brother travels to Thailand looking for him… and demands Patrick return to Los Angeles, away from Jack and the only world familiar to him. The attention also causes trouble for Jack, and to make their way back to each other, Patrick will need to find not only himself, but Jack as well, before everything is lost….
REVIEW:
I have always been interested in Thailand and have been looking forward to reading about it.
Patrick is a businessman that travels all over the world for his company. When a freak accident leaves him injured and no memories he discovers that he has to fend for himself in any way possible to survive. Survival is a basic instinct that requires no memory, it just keeps you alive any way possible. When the only other person that looks and speaks like him finally gains his confidence he can turn his energy into trying to figure out who he is and what happened to him. But will that discovery destroy the relationship with the man he trusts and is growing to love?
I really enjoyed watching Jack’s nurturing nature shine in this book. He cared about Buddy and just wanted to take care of him. Both men’s realization that they were attracted to the other was great to watch unfold. They became each other’s “one”. His unselfish nature shone throughout this book. He grew to love Buddy/Patrick but was willing to sacrifice his own needs for the sake of his lover’s greater need.
There were a few loose ends that bothered me when I got to the end of this book. If this had been a short story they wouldn’t have bothered me quite as much but this wasn’t one. Jack is originally from Australia but mentioned that he couldn’t go home. That he had basically ran from there. But they never touched on why. He was such a kind, generous man so I would have trouble seeing him as anything dangerous. The blurb stated he was an ex-pat. I looked up ex-pat and it is defined as “expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country other than that of their citizenship – whether they are employed in some way, or retired.” That did define Jack. The other part that bothered me was the abrupt ending. The readers are lead all over the world and then bam, Jack and Patrick/Buddy run into each other and the end. We are left to believe that all is okay but Patrick had recently felt like there were memories just beyond his reach. Plus we know he is desperate to find Jack but his anxieties about no memories and being in strange places are just ignored. I was pretty on board with this entire book and really enjoying it until the last two pages. I felt like I just got dropped. I would have appreciated at least an epilogue.
I grew to like both Patrick’s brother James and his father but his mother was such a piece of work. For such a worried and caring mother she was suppose to be she came across as selfish. Her lack of trying to understand Patrick’s situation and to make him feel comfortable really bothered me. At least his father grasped what it was like for Patrick to have absolutely no idea who these people were or where they took him to. James is the one that finally held up his part of the bargain and kept his word, even going the extra step to help Patrick reconnect with Jack. His love and caring for his brother showed through. I could imagine them attempting to forge some kind of relationship but we don’t know.
All in all I enjoyed this book right until the last page. I feel as if the writer just left us hanging but maybe he wanted us to form our own ending. This felt as if this was a HFN more than getting my much needed HEA. I had no doubt about Jack and Buddy/Patrick’s feelings for each other but am left questioning where things would go next. My rating would have been a lot higher if an epilogue had been included.
RATING: 
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