Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Dancing Seasons
AUTHOR: Loreley Thunder
PUBLISHER: JMS Books
LENGTH: 82 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 26, 2022
BLURB:
Loneliness and his caretaker Sebastian have been Liam’s only constant companions ever since he can remember. Surrounded by every kind of luxury money can buy, Liam soon learns the privileges he’s so used to can only be enjoyed when shared with friends and loved ones. Until he meets a man who, with every interaction, changes the course of his life.
Adrian lives in a world where financial struggles and health issues are part of everyday living. Putting himself through school and earning an income to support his family, Adrian has no time to play. A stranger does him a good turn when he’s most in need of help, and Adrian, unknowingly, returns the favor years later.
Their lives have touched so many times, and every time they turned away. Will Liam and Adrian realize they shared moments in their past? Will they meet again and strike up a treasured friendship? More important, will they find love?
REVIEW:
So the premise of this story was intriguing – the fact that the protagonists met several times during their life without knowing each other. Liam is drawn to Adrien and wants to help him. It takes a while for him to recognize that this is the same guy who then saves him when he makes a mistake that could have ended in tragedy. It’s a bit of a case of the poor little rich boy and a boy whose entire life has been a struggle until they meet up as adults at a wedding. Then another tragedy pulls Adrien away just as they are finally connecting more as equals. Finally they come together at Adrien’s instigation and they finally are able to make a relationship going forward.
I liked the idea of this story. It did, however, leave something to be desired in the execution. The writing is stilted – so much though that for me it affected the flow of the story. My supposition is that English is not the first language of the author and perhaps a native English speaking editor could have helped with the awkward phrasing a the few grammatical anomalies. But more than anything, I felt like the characters were difficult to access. The supporting characters where didn’t have enough page/words to provide much context. I just had a hard time believing/understanding a true connection with these characters. I think a longer story might have made me care more about them and how they came to understand and love each other. This appears to be the author’s first published story, so hopefully the next story can address some of these issues to make it a better experience for the reader. As usual, YMMV.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
JMS Books