S.J.D. Peterson

Really well done! I loved the dynamic of the menage, how Bobby and Rig nurture and heal Mason, and getting behind all three of their eyes--into their distinct personalities that mesh so well--was enlightening and wonderful. I was so involved in every second of this.

My emotions got pulled around in this one. I was tearing up looking through Mason's eyes when he was depressed and soul-deep sad and lost in the beginning. (I have an uncle who committed suicide, so Peterson's message in the show more beginning about her sister and niece really resonated with me.) I felt Bobby and Rig's desire to protect, help, and have Mason belong to them. When all three came together, I felt the rightness of their bond.

That said, this could have easily been a five-star, blown-out-of-my-mind read if things had gone slower and delved even deeper between Mason and the other two. For all of his pain and issues, it was a bit too insta-love, instant calming effect that healed Mason for me. If it moved along a little more naturally, with more doubts and slowly pushing through issues--two steps forward, one step back type--it would have been perfect. show less

If I could, I would give this story a million stars... because that's what I saw!

This story is perfect. Just the right amount of everything. I was never bored, I never once thought it was BS-ing me. It left me wanting for MORE! Perfect!

I loooooooooove Danny and I love Lance. I didn't even think I would like Danny that much, but I did and then some. Judging from the blurb, I initially thought Danny would be the stereotypical flamboyant flamer, and Lance would be the stereotypical boring token show more dumb jock. I'm so glad I was dead wrong.

15% through the story, I just knew this early that this book would land on my favorites shelf. When I finished, it even landed on my HG (holy grail status) shelf!

Fangirling starts... NOW!:

The pacing was perfect, the scenes were satisfying and more than managed to get me interested for more. I love that I can actually feel Danny and Lance's feelings and emotions. I also appreciate that the secondary characters had depth and, er, character. They're so likeable and they're actually needed in the story—YES! (One of my pet peeves is when secondary characters overshadows the leads for nothing!)

The sweet stuff made me embarassingly giddy and, between you and me, I'm pretty sure I squealed a couple of times (what?! I can't contain it!); while the sad stuff BRRRR-OKE. MY. HEART. Seriously, I don't know how I would get on with my life if this couple didn't end up HEA. No, really. Funny thing is that I would also totally understand if the characters didn't end up together (whatever, I'll just cry myself to sleep, but I'd understand... TnT ). While the conflict frustrated the hell out of me, it was the good kind of frustration—the conflict and their reactions, in my opinion, were legit.

I'm so amazed how the characters were very interesting and fresh, while the story still managed to maintain enough realism. The elements were just so believable and I detected no BS.

Ugh, I just love, love, loooove this novel! This is the first novel by SJD Peterson that I have read, and I thoroughly enjoyed devouring every single word. Damn, I want more!

*insert endless fangirl rave here* show less

What do you get when two men with self-confidence issues fall in love? The short answer is: angst. The longer answer is: lots and lots of angst. But the truth is, in the way this romance between Brycen and James develops, the angst, misunderstandings and sheer agony both of them have to go through is almost overwhelming. The back and forth, lack of communication and sheer stupidity of both of them in some situations almost did me in. But you know what? It still held me glued to the pages. show more For that alone, SJD Peterson deserves a lot of credit, because this story could have so easily moved into ‘boring’, ‘trite’, or just plain ‘get on with it’ territory. It didn’t do any of those, at least not for me.

Brycen sees himself as boring. Others, including his ex lover Eli, may think the same thing. But Brycen’s biggest problem is that he believes them more than his own gut feeling, or what his friends tell him. At one point he thinks ‘well, friends have to like you’. It takes him a long time to understand that James may not see him that way and even longer to lose the fear that James will change his mind one day. Lack of self-confidence? In spades. Combine that with the heart of an incurable romantic hoping for a monogamous relationship and Brycen is setting himself up for heartbreak almost from the very start.

James is less visibly damaged. He throws himself into work to try and forget how inadequate he thinks he is. A previous lover has left him believing his lack of formal education matters more than what type of a man he is, and he finds it very difficult to believe anyone could be interested in him for the longer term. Like Brycen, he wants a monogamous relationship, someone to come home at the end of the day. Unlike Brycen, he thinks it can happen, except not with someone ‘way out of his league’.

If you like angsty books, this one is for you. If you enjoy suffering along with the characters, maybe occasionally yelling at them to open their eyes and see what is right in front of their noses, I promise you, this book will get you there. If you like nothing more than a happy ending at the end of a story – this one will make you work for it. I thought it was well worth the read. show less

Love is not always easy, nor straightforward, and ‘Remember When’ is a heartrending illustration of two men not taking the easy road – not because they have issues or because they won’t commit, but because they are young when they are separated, and never really had a chance to explore the feelings that have started to grow between them. When they finally meet again ten years later, they have more than one obstacle to overcome. Despite the basic attraction still existing, show more complications assail them from every possible angle, and I found some of them easier to believe than others. What matters, and what kept me reading, is the way Luke and Nelson deal with their problems. Obligations, responsibilities, and expectations (of themselves and others) stand between them as much as the absence of a trust they never had a chance to build.

Luke and Nelson start out as childhood friends, and the intensity of their connection is amazing. The separation tore me apart as much as it did them, and I had high hopes for their reunion. But nothing is easy. Both men have learned to put others ahead of their own happiness, and that was probably a survival mechanism when they were separated. But ten years of habit are tough to unlearn, and their “rapprochement” comes in fits and starts that had me tearing my hair out more than once. In the end, they can’t deal with the issues and another fifteen years pass before they get their third chance.

While the events in this novel seemed more than coincidental on several occasions, the narrative has a realistic side that I was unable to ignore. People do make mistakes, the sense of honor that drives Luke to do what he does could be called admirable, and the overall lack of ability of either man to stand up for themselves until they are much older and wiser reads true. It may have annoyed me, but things in real life do go wrong. What did impress me is the strength of their connection. It may have been buried for several decades, but in the end, all I can say is wow.

If you like flawed characters who make multiple mistakes before they “grow up”, if a love story that spans several decades sounds interesting, and if you’re looking for a read that will make you wait for a hard-earned happy ending, then you might like this novel.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. show less