Reviewed by Anabela.m
TITLE: 760 Miles
SERIES: Northern Horizons Book 1
AUTHOR: AE Lister
PUBLISHER: Pride Publishing
LENGTH: 329 pages
RELEASE DATE: March 15, 2022
BLURB:
How far would you travel for one man?
The very last thing Jimmy Downing needed was a skinny traveling partner who acted half his age with a chip on his shoulder and no idea how the real world worked, because Jimmy had a lot of experience with the world and he wanted no part of it anymore.
He was trying his best to be an honorable man after two decades of being outside the law. He’d stolen things. He’d killed people in the name of survival. He’d helped other men do horrible things. But now he was keeping his head down and trying to live under the radar. T’wasn’t his fault that Oscar needed someone to show him right from wrong, give him something to eat on the regular and try to keep him out of trouble, so he didn’t end up making a mess of his life the way Jimmy had. Maybe that was what being a good man was all about.
Except the things Jimmy wanted from this twenty-one-year-old man were far from respectable, and he couldn’t stop thinking about them, especially when Oscar Yates of the big brown eyes, cackle of a laugh and insatiable appetite for anything grilled over an open fire insisted on pushing all his buttons.
How was Jimmy going to last the 760 miles to Port Essington without giving in to those needs Oscar called to with the hint of a smile and a smart-assed curse? Because if Jimmy did give in, it would mean both of them living outside the law and never having the chance at a decent life again.
REVIEW:
760 Miles is a solid historical romance, set in the Yukon territory in the year of 1906. The gold rush was over, miners gone in search of richer territories, abandoning towns filled with defeated, hopeless people. In this godforsaken world, the narrator of the story, Jimmy Downing, had it better than others. He hauled supplies on the Overland Trail, which secured him a steady pay. But he understood poverty and hunger, and how they could lead someone to make desperate choices. And that’s why, when he met young Oscar next to a molly house in impoverished Dawson City, he understood the latter’s choice to sell himself for a few coins. Out of pity, Jimmy decided to offer Oscar a night of respite – a meal, new clothes, a bath and a night of fearless sleep in his hotel room. What Jimmy hadn’t accounted for was that Oscar would completely turn his world on his axis.
Five years ago, after being with them for twenty, Jimmy ran away from a gang of robbers. He’s seen violence and witnessed people at their worst, and that’s why he thought he had a built-in shield against emotions. Until Oscar. The street rat was shameless, outspoken and direct about his desires, cocky and a flirty brat. At thirty six now, Jimmy experienced for the first time a need so strong and a burning desire he hadn’t known he was capable of feeling… all for a man. I found him quite adorable during their first few hours together, when shaken up and taken aback by his new urgings, Jimmy tried to resist Oscar.
The author did an amazing job at writing Jimmy. A man of his times, but a bit more open-minded thanks to his experiences. Non-judgemental of men wanting other men, yet questioning himself and his hunger for Oscar, especially when things took a kinky turn between them. He couldn’t understand how the could want to pamper Oscar and, at the same time, love to spank him. He had lots of strong emotions to puzzle through and he took a bit of time to digest each new craving Oscar stirred in him, and also tried to slow things down between them, giving them both the chance to settle emotionally.
When Jimmy asked Oscar to join him in his travels, they had the opportunity to know each other better. At the same time, it became a journey of sexual discoveries for them. They pushed each other’s boundaries, they experimented and learned what worked better for them. But, it was also a trek full of dangers, that put their lives at risk more than once. They eventually changed direction and headed toward Port Essington, looking for Oscar’s uncle, and what they found there was the unexpected possibility of a future together.
I really liked Jimmy and Oscar. Although the book offers only Jimmy’s point of view, it was very easy to get a good sense of Oscar’s personality, too. They were complex characters and surprisingly very much alike. A juxtaposition of innocent and brazen, sweet and sinful, both gentle, kind, lonely and hungry for affection. They simply clicked, their needs matched perfectly and they were thankful for the wonderful thing they had together, especially in their times.
760 Miles worked very well as a period novel. It felt historically accurate and definitely of the times. I particularly liked how the author wrote the dynamic between Jimmy and Oscar without the modern terminology like safewords or limits. It’s been an emotional ride to witness their relationship develop, they touched every corner of my heart. And, while the plot was centered on their romance, it also had enough dangerous turns to make the story suspenseful and keep it always interesting. The ending is HFN and I’m most definitely excited for any future books in this series.
RATING: 
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