Martin Crosbie

A wonderful story with great characters and honest writing. As a reader, I was easily drawn into the world of a young Scottish boy named Malcolm and stayed with him during his journey to manhood. This is an excellent story that's written in the first person. It's a story about finding a sense of home, overcoming obstacles in which there is no control and still coming out a good person. We watch young Mal develop relationships, his struggle against bullies, his confusion as he tries to show more connect with his father, and the lack of having a real relationship with his mother. We never know what life will deal us, the only thing we can do is our best with a situation and make choices that are true to our own nature. As an adult, Malcolm goes to the extreme for those he loves, proves to himself who he is and where his loyalties rest, his true home. This novel is a great journey written by Crosbie and I highly recommend it for those who enjoy reading honest characters, and if you are not afraid to face horrible realities.I recommend an open heart and a few tissues. On to the next book about Malcolm's friend, Hardly. show less

Apparently the second book in a trilogy, this story follows Hardly, a soldier who needs to avenge his partner's death and find his sister. While there is not a whole lot of story or complexity, the portrayal of being in Ireland, the stress of being a soldier there is well done.

I prefer to write my reaction to a book, rather than repeating the description, which you can get above. This is not my normal read. I usually read light and fluffy romance novels. Something that takes me away from reality. I started to put this book down two or three times. I am so thankful that I did not. It was very well written. It captured me right from the start. It is full of all kinds of emotion. I found parts of the book personally very hard to read. Without giving the story away, show more it is about adults who have been abused as children. It was very real and authentic. show less

When I started this book I thought that it was going to be a beach read. You know, a touching, coming of age story about a young man who overcomes a hard life and eventually has a happily ever after. Boy what a shock I got. The mid story twist made my eyes bulge and I could not put it down. I enjoyed this story until the end and I will be looking forward to more from this author.