Samuel York

If anything, the situation in this second installment of Jack and Andrew's story gets worse. Both the boys' parents react badly to discovering they are boyfriends, and even though Andrew has a short reprieve in foster care, the stupidity of the system and the people in charge of assessing whether Andrew's parents have "changed their ways (as if abusers and bigots ever do!) made me scream in anger. Imagine what kids like Jack and Andrew go through! Helpless in the clutches of their abusers show more all they can do is try t endure, and hope to survive.

The realism of this story is heartbreaking and made me more angry than I can say - at parents who don't accept their children, at a system that is supposed to protect them - and utterly fails in so many cases, and at a world that looks on and doesn't seem to care. Yes, this is fiction, but unfortunately it isn't fantasy! show less

What an absolutely fantastic sequel for Love without Borders! As tough as this story was to read (believe me, you'll need those tissues close by), as rewarding I found the emotional depth that developed between Jason and David. They may have found it deceptively easy to fall in love in the first book, but their love is severely tested in this second book. The change from utter bliss to complete devastation is very well written, both characters' emotions are raw and real, and their path to show more their 'new normal' is as difficult as I'd imagine if one partner suddenly loses both legs in an accident.

Jason is such a kind, wonderful man, always ready to help. It's tragic that the accident that takes his legs below the knee happens on someone else's shift, one he covered, but it is typical for Jason to be glad it was him and not the man whose wife just had a baby. When Jason wakes up and discovers what happens he is devastated. He also lashes out at David, even though it was his lover who saved his life. The emotional turmoil, the insecurity ("how can he still love me"), and the shutting himself off against the world are typical stages of people adapting to sudden physical disability.

David has, in many ways, a job that is as difficult as Jason's. While he doesn't have to deal with any changes in his body, Jason's problems clearly affect him as well. Not to mention the fact that Jason keeps pushing him away. That hurts him almost beyond what he can bear. Luckily, he is determined to fight for Jason and, as much as he hurts from Jason's emotional "punishment", he never gives up! What a wonderful man!

If you liked these two men in the first book and want to see how they're doing, if you think you have the courage to face the depths of despair with them, and if you're looking for a read that is as emotionally harrowing as it is (eventually) rewarding, then you will probably like this short story as much as I did. It will stay with me for a long time!




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

Billy is beautiful ... in his appearance and in his idiosyncrasies ... and so is the novel. Sawyer's acceptance of Billy and Billy's love of dressing up, makeup, "looking pretty", is awesome. They have a couple of years of this wonderful relationship as they complete school and pursue their ambitions.

Two years into Sawyer's career in the FBI, Sawyer has changed - his acceptance of Billy has dwindled. His devotion to Billy has been eaten up by the pressures of life in the FBI. Hearts hurt.

The show more author's note says Samuel York is a trans-male author writing gay romance. They previously published under the name Sara York.

They have published nearly 100 novels, so I'm surprised I haven't crossed their path before this. This book came out in 2014. And republished in 2022 - that's the only thing I can think of that would be the reason why so few Thingers have read it. It was before its time in 2014 perhaps, and the author was better known 10 years later.

I had no idea in 2014 - I was living in one of the most conservative states in the US - that romance as a literary genre was where it was - socially progressive and changing attitudes, one read at a time.

This will be a novel I'll remember, thanks in big part to how narrator Sean Crisden brings it to life. The cover is captivating, a change from a muscled torso! show less

Jack is gay. He's not the happiest about this, but he's come to terms with it. The problem is that his father is the local preacher and his younger brother is fabulously gay. These details all put together mean problems. So he hides it. And he tries his best to make sure his little brother hides it too. He's doing a great job of being the typical southern small town jock. But when a boy named Andrew moves into town, and he happens to be gay, Jack instantly feels protective and attracted. show more Andrew's parents know he's gay and think that if they just pray hard enough, that'll go away. They also starve him and emotionally torment him. Jack feels sorry for him and sneaks him food, also makes sure the jocks don't pick on him. And now Andrew's falling for him too.

It's tough for two closeted boys to have a relationship, so there are a lot of rocky moments. There's also a lot of repetitive dialogue and overly dramatic declarations of love. But, hey, they're high school kids and this is their first real love. So I could stand a fair amount of it. Some of it felt a little clunky, though, and I don't know if I liked the writing enough to continue the series. I definitely liked the characters in this story, but kept waiting for the other shoe to drop the whole time plot-wise. I was mostly concerned about Billy, who was being told he had to hide who he was. It's a tough thing to tell a little boy who just wants to be a princess for Halloween. Poor kid. When things go bad for Jack, I was sure Jack could take care of himself, but what about little Billy?

The worst part was the non-ending. And the repetitive cheesy dialogue. I am glad to have made it through, but probably wouldn't put this on my recommended list, I'm sorry to say. show less