Jeremy Pack

This is an amazing story set at the beginning of the space age in the US, but at the same time, it is so much more. Outwardly, it spans about thirty years of US history, but the way we get to experience it is through the eyes of two extraordinary men. Their ambitions, emotions, dreams and failings are what make this story so special. It may be a slightly romanticized version of the truth in places, but it's written so engagingly that it is almost like a history lesson made fun.

Nick only wants one thing: to fly airplanes like his dad and, once President Kennedy kicks off the space program, to make it to the moon. He sacrifices everything in the hope of getting there: who he really is, his personal life, and the man he loves from the first time he meets him, even if he never admits that out loud. He gets married to please his bosses, suffers through the machinations and manipulations of a truly evil woman (I am sorry, but I couldn’t even forgive her once she repented, what she did was beyond unforgivable in my opinion), and still does not get what he wants most. Accepting that, and still managing to find some happiness, years and years later, is a truly great achievement and shows how much he has grown.

Tait is obsessed with contributing to making the world a better place, and he too, sacrifices everything. As a journalist, he has his sights set on reporting "important" events, but doesn’t quite know how to get there. He doesn’t start out as very courageous, and I wanted to kick him a few times as he hemmed and hawed over what to do. But over the years he learns to stand up for himself and what he wants. Reporting on the space program was not his choice, but he has a knack for "the human angle" and, in the end, the fame he achieves covering the astronauts' lives lands him the job as a war correspondent and opens doors for him to make some real changes. He risks his life to rescue others and his suffering, both physically and mentally, affected me deeply. And he, too, manages to make peace with a life that would have many in despair.

Underneath the almost-tragic story about two men's lives, there is a heart-wrenching love story made up of "just misses". In a society where Nick and Tait's love was close to impossible (at least if you wanted the type of career Nick was after) and coming out would have likely ended Tait's career as well, they did not have a choice but to hide who they were, and what they meant to each other. This book is a great reminder of what men and women like them had to go through, and, let's be honest, still have to go through.

If you want an honest look at history and what it was like to live through the final decades of the last century as a career-oriented gay man, if you like reading about characters who are real and complex, and if the idea of an astronaut and a journalist discovering they are more alike than they'd like to think sounds interesting, give this book a go. I totally loved it and can only recommend you read it. But let me give you fair warning: this is a gut-wrenching story that will more than likely make you angry and make you cry in turn. If you think you’re ready for an emotional roller coaster ride, go for it. This book is well worth reading!




NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.… (mais)

The touching the stars achievement is not only the most obvious of Nick Sullivan, who is an astronaut in the run that US is having against URSS to have the first man in space and then on the moon, is also that of Tait William, a news reporter trying to do something good amidst an horrible scenario, on both sides of the Vietnam and Cambodia war. And maybe is also that of Nick and Tait together, living, hating and loving for more than 20 years trying to achieve their little paradise.

This is not an “easy” gay romance, and, apparently, for the most part, romance is not even the main theme, Nick and Tait barely shares a kiss, for a good part of the story they are apart, even paired with different partners; more than once I had the feeling they weren’t destined to be together, they were cross-starred lovers, but the time always seemed wrong. Nick and Tait are both confused, sometime even disgusted by what they feel for each other; instead of listening to their hearts they are easily influenced by enemy words, words of people who have the agenda to set them apart.

It was really difficult at time to believe in a future together for these two, moreover, there wasn’t apparently any pity for their beloved ones, people was dying, from war, from AIDS, from lack of love… how easy it was to let it go, to not being strong; but this is the only important characteristic of Nick, and yes, even Tait, they are strong, and able to overcome the time and years who put them apart.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1623800064/?tag=elimyrevandra-20… (mais)

I don't even know where to begin.

When this started with the prologue, I thought the dialogue, word choices, and style of the book had to be purposefully odd. Something as over-the-top as movies like Body Heat, Wild Things, or Romancing the Stone. I laughed thinking I was in on the joke.

But, by about maybe the second or third chapter I started thinking I had been way, way wrong. Then, the clichés, characters, and plot all became painful to read.

I didn't feel any heat between the two MCs. Why on Earth did they like each other???? And please, there is no way from the interactions the reader read that I could be convinced they were building upon love. I dislike insta-love immensely as well.

You can guess the plot twist and bad guys by about 40% & every kitchen sink Matlock mystery element was thrown in.

Of course the main detective would be incompetent and chewing on cigars and snickering in his laziness.

Of course the mourning man would be quiet, beautiful, and drawing the men in like honey while looking down & being demure.

Of course the former FBI agent that never believed in love and has the flashing white teeth falls for the simple, unassuming man in a day or two and he's never felt anything like this in 48 hours. It's crazy!

Of course the shit goes down in Las Vegas because they don't call it "Sin City" for nothin. *wink wink nudge*

The child felt like a convenient plot device that made no sense.

On second thought, maybe this all was tongue-in-cheek.

I've heard author's second book is much, much better & a totally different style so I'll still check it out. Maybe this was just a debut book that needed to have the kinks ironed out.… (mais)

I want to give this 5 stars because it was everything I love: danger, non-stop action, excellent pacing, people in peril with their true love desperate to find them, interesting characters, sweet MCs, complexity, twists, and one of the MCs calls in the FBI as soon as he has any real evidence rather than trying to go it alone, despite risk to himself, etc. But there were a lot of things wrong that bugged me:

The timeline was completely off. Someone knew about something for a couple of years but then someone else let that person know about it just before the even that was less than a year ago. Things like that. I think this kind of thing is critical for a mystery thriller.

Someone goes unconscious and is taken to an emergency room by ambulance. They've regained consciousness by then but are put in the waiting room? Um, no. They would be taken to a room right away. Anyone brought in by ambulance is, at least here in Seattle where the book takes place. Our emergency response is second to none according to Time Magazine (I think that was the latest report of such things). No way would a person with a potential head injury be left to his own devices. Can you say lawsuit?

There is no traffic light where second runs into fourth: the streets merge. Since this light is critical to the story, it's irritating. Plus, the character takes the fourth avenue exit to get to Safeco field. That is beyond ridiculous, way too far away. Fourth Avenue goes the entire length of downtown and that exit is near the north end whereas Safeco field is south of downtown in the Sodo.

This isn't a big deal to most people but it's a big pet peeve of mine: "If you think blah blah, you've got another think coming." It's "think," people, not "thing." "If you think this, then you need to think again because you're an idiot," is what it's basically saying.

One time one character has been beaten within an inch of his life and the other character doesn't even comment.

There are some changes of POV in the middle of scenes. It doesn't happen a lot, and I knew who was thinking, but it's still jarring and I hate it.

This one I don't know but it sounds suspicious: a private plane can often take off when commercial planes are grounded due to weather. I would think it would be the other way around.

Don't look at the cover, it's got a big spoiler. That's all I'm saying.

One major plot hole is that the reason the bad guy did this is so that (big spoiler)he would get custody of Brianna and then have the diamond. But how would the box get opened without Chris? And anything of Chris's would go to Brianna, not her foster/adoptive parent. And despite who anyone thinks the girl would go to, no matter what pieces of paper, the powers that be would still try to find the mother. There are no guarantees if things are done legally. If they aren't, then why this convoluted act?.

Another big spoiler that bugged me (that probably won't bug most people) is that the little girl recognizes her dad right away and feels safe with him. She's three and hasn't seen him in 10 months. Children's memories are swiss cheese at that age. she probably would recognize him sort of, but she would think of where she had been kept as her home. She would be terrified and traumatized and not want to go with him. If the author had made her a little older, 3.5-4, it would have worked, but she was just too young.

But the biggest problem with the whole thing is that the plot doesn't really make sense. Rather, it doesn't make sense why someone would do this convoluted thing rather than just (big spoiler) murder Chris and make it look like a suicide? Or make Chris open the box when he's really young and convince him it's just a sentimental rock and steal it from him? Even at the end the plan to finally dispose of him still would look terribly suspicious.

There's instalove, which might bother some people, but not me, but at the end, the forced break was completely unnecessary and way too long. No reason for the HEA not to happen immediately, certainly not a good enough reason given.

So all these annoyances make me think 2.5-3 stars, especially since the biggest issues are plot holes. But...I really enjoyed it. So, 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because it's one the only M/M romance thrillers that was actually thrilling with lots of action.
… (mais)