Title: The Long Way Home
Author: G.R. Richards
Length: 7,000 words (35 pdf pages)
Publisher: Amber Allure
Genre: m/m contemporary
Rating: B-
Blurb:
Nothing grabs a guy’s attention like the words, “We need to talk.”
For months now, Jordan and Faro have been at each other’s throats. Their long-term committed relationship is mired by petty arguments about anything and everything, but Jordan’s convinced they can make it past the holidays. After all, how heartless would a man have to be to throw his partner out in the street three days before Christmas?
About as heartless as Faro, apparently, who packs Jordan’s bags and puts him on the train to his mother’s house.
But there’s more love, more passion, and more compassion in their relationship than even Jordan had realized. What treasure awaits him when he arrives in his hometown for the holidays.
Review:
This is an interesting emotion laden story, that starts with long-established couple Faro and Jordan. Things are not going well for them as a couple, there are arguments, anger, frustration and Jordan is pretty sure that it’s only a matter or time before they decide to call it quits. When Faro drops the “we have to talk” bomb over breakfast, it leads to yet another argument and may just be the straw that broke the camel’s relationship back
Jordan knows his job is on the line because he’s distracted by their relationship issues, and he figures he may not only be single soon, but unemployed, however he’s not quite prepared to find his luggage sitting on the step and being told his mother is expecting him and he better hustle to the train station. Bye-bye. Jordan spends his time on the journey reassessing his relationship and a conversation with his mom reveals some surprises. He always assumed his parents had a perfect relationship and he wanted that, only to find out they’d been in couples therapy for years and very nearly divorced.When he finally arrives at her home, he’s shocked to find a naked Faro waiting for him.
Jordan’s emotions just rolled off the page. He hated their relationship, he didn’t hate Faro, but he was miserable. He knew it was going down the toilet but he seemed incapable of stopping it and Faro didn’t seem to be helping in my opinion. It became a spiraling nightmare, although they both loved each other, there seemed to be no escape and even Jordan’s soul-searching on his journey didn’t offer him much hope. I did have a bit of a problem with Faro and Jordan’s mother conspiring to get him to her home where they could work it out. To make the person you supposedly love believe that you just tossed them out on Christmas with nary a second thought, seems to be a damn hard lesson. I’ll make you believe I kicked out and then, oh surprise, I was just kidding, let’s have sex.
It does say they will talk after and deal with the hard issues but I would have been absolutely furious if someone pulled that on me. It just seemed like pulling a stunt like that, only to prove a point, seemed immature and mean. So while I didn’t enjoy that aspect of the story, and you really don’t know anything about Faro or how they originally got together, my heart broke for poor Jordan who was sitting in a train station by himself on Christmas crying. *sniff* Probably anyone whose been in a relationship, especially one that has broken, knows that feeling.
So if you’re in the mood for some emotional turmoil that ends on a positive note, but not necessarily a guarantee of HEA, it was a really well written story that drew me in.
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