REVIEWED by Jen B.

TITLE: Long Way Home

AUTHOR: Nicky James

PUBLISHER: Nicky James

LENGTH: 310 Pages

RELEASE DATE: August 14, 2019

BLURB:

It was love at first sight.
They were soulmates.
It was forever.
But they were only sixteen.
Too innocent. Too naïve.
Too ignorant about the world around them.
Besides, nothing lasts forever.
With their fairy-tale future torn to shreds, both boys need to learn to find their own way in an unforgiving world.
Gavin Buchanan is thrown into a life he didn’t want, molded to do a job he always feared. He must learn to get by, but with only his brothers in arms to lean on and secrets so deep they eat at his core every day, he struggles. How long until life in the Marine Corps turns this gentle, tender-hearted man into someone no one recognizes?
Owen Wallace is adrift and going through the motions. Every time he tries to stand tall and put the past behind him, life kicks him down. There is only so much a person can take before they turn bitter and jaded. It wasn’t supposed to be this way.
Their souls are bound to each other.
Nothing will keep them apart.
It will take time, but they just need to find their way home.

**Triggers for PTSD**

REVIEW: This is one of those books that I knew was going to be good within the first few pages. It is beyond heartbreaking, and full of angst and sadness, but it also has a good ending which makes the ride worth it in the end.

Gavin and Owen fall in love in high school, but they keep things a secret. Gavin is a star football player from a well-to-do family with aspirations to follow in his father’s footsteps as a veterinarian. Owen is a bit of a brainy geek from a struggling family who has dreams of becoming a journalist. Fearing bullying and his parents’ reactions, Owen presses them to keep things between themselves, although some of Gavin’s friends/teammates have figured it out and are supportive.

Let’s just say things do not go as planned with their coming out just weeks shy of graduation and their plans of being together at college. They are basically ripped apart and Gavin enlists in the military. All ties are cut, and they both suffer tremendously with the loss. This is the first real turning point in this long story and where the story splits as well. We follow Gavin and his journey on his own becoming a Marine (closeted, of course), while at the same time, we see Owen trying to move on at college with a few of Gavin’s old teammates (one of which becomes his best friend.

These guys seem to hit one roadblock after another. When one gives a little, a misconception or miscommunication (or lack thereof) pushes them back ten steps. It was so easy to see how much everything out of their control was affecting each of their lives and why they chose to cope the way they did (or didn’t, as the case may be). I’m not entirely sure which one broke my heart the hardest – Owen and his inability to let go of Gavin over the years, only to be knocked down each time he tried – or Gavin who was forced to change his life and hide and then suffer with the actions he was trained/forced to perform, all while also dealing with the loss of Owen.

Even more heartbreaking is what finally brings them back together, and I was honestly feeling the loss myself. But, again, it all feels worth it in the end and everything happens for a reason seems to apply. There are a number of topics addressed here, and a few possible triggers (PTSD, Homophobia, etc.), but they all felt real and believable. I was planning on a solid 4 star rating on this one, but as I didn’t want to put this down and read it in two days, I had to bump it up a touch. I do with we had more page time with the guys together, as the middle of the story seemed to stretch out a bit, and the ending felt a bit too quick. But, all in all, I didn’t want it to end and I will definitely be looking out for more from this author in the future.

RATING:

BUY LINK:

Amazon