* * * *
A SINGLE BASKETBALL GAME CHANGES EVERYTHING...
When they were only teenagers, Axel and Caxton were caught making out in the woods at church camp. And afterward, Cax had disappeared from all the youth group activities.
Six years later, Axel is astonished to spot his first love’s face in the crowd of a college basketball game he’s watching on TV—at a school which has just offered him a job. It’s a thousand miles away, in a tiny rural town. But suddenly, he can’t wait to get there.
Cax can’t believe his eyes when Axel appears in the same Massachusetts town where he now lives. And he’s still just as drawn to Axel as ever. But he can’t let himself go there again, because loving Axel will mean giving up everything else he holds dear.
Both men have so much to lose. But as far as their love is concerned, it's Hello Forever.
Hello Forever is a stand-alone novel with no cliffhangers. Readers of Goodbye Paradise will get to check in on Caleb and Josh and their clan.
Source: advance e-galley provided in exchange for an honest review
Second-chance romances are always a cure for a glum mood which is why I was so happy to crack this one open. (Or is it swipe it open since it's an ebook?)
Axel and Cax get a chance to become reacquainted again when Axel relocates to the same small town of Henning that Cax now lives in. Axel has moved here for a job though truth be told, also for Cax. When they were teenagers at a church camp they had acted upon their mutual crush. Sadly, they were caught and separated immediately with Axel not hearing from or seeing Cax ever again. He's never forgotten him so when he saw Cax on tv at the college basketball game, he felt that this was the sign he needed to accept the position at Barmuth University. Cax never thought he'd see his first and only love again but their reunion brings a mixed bag of emotions. He's thrilled to have him near but also fearful. Cax has kept his sexuality a secret from everyone and has never come out of the closet. He's never even said it aloud to himself. His strained relations with his father is what is holding him back for fear that his dad would make trouble for him where his family is concerned. As tempted as he is to act upon his feelings for Axel he has to weigh the consequences of doing so.
I feel that this is another instance of Bowen schooling me, in this case reminding me that "coming out" is not an easy decision for many people. True, toxic people should be removed from our lives but there's a cost. The person stuck in the middle has to consider that cost against their own happiness which is exactly the position that Cax is in. Axel is at the other end of the spectrum. He has always been accepted by his mother, has experienced relationships and sex, and is now in his first professional job testing the waters to see if his sexuality will be an issue at work. It's interesting seeing the contrast in how these two men live their lives. But Axel is a stand-up guy who has waited this long to find Cax again so he won't easily give up on him. He is exceptionally tender and understanding of him even when things get shot to hell later.
Sarina Bowen knows how to draw you into the story at a deeper level. You may think you know what's going on but you don't. Each revelation adds another layer to making the characters whole. Axel and Cax have a lovely chemistry that makes the sexual tension even more pressing. Outside of that, there's a bond that even six years of being apart can't diminish. Hello Forever is about patience, encouragement and the steadfast belief that love wins in the end, especially when you find your way back to each other.
~ Bel
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Most people called it a cult. But for twenty years, Josh and Caleb called it home.
In Paradise, there is no television. No fast food. Just long hours of farm work and prayer on a dusty Wyoming ranch, and nights in a crowded bunkhouse. The boys of the Compound are kept far from the sinners’ world.
But Joshua doesn’t need temptation to sin. His whole life, he’s wanted his best friend, Caleb. By day they work side by side. Only when Josh closes his eyes at night can they be together the way he craves.
It can never be. And his survival depends on keeping his terrible desires secret.
Caleb has always protected Josh against the worst of the bullying at the Compound. But he has secrets of his own, and a plan to get away — until it all backfires.
Josh finds himself homeless in a world that doesn’t want him. Can Caleb find him in time? And will they find a place of safety, where he can admit to Josh how he really feels?
Warning: Contains a hot male/male romance, copious instances of taking the Lord's name in vain, and love against the kitchen counter. This book was previously released under the title: In Front of God & Everyone.
Source: e-galley provided in exchange for an honest review
Sarina Bowen. She's our hero. She writes some freaking amazing stories so you can rest assured that if she has a new one coming out we definitely want to get our hands on it.
Josh and Caleb have grown up secluded from the rest of the world in a cult called Paradise. Their experience is nothing like its name. Cut off from the outside world, they had a subpar education, a strict upbringing under sometimes impoverished circumstances. Josh and Caleb have always been close friends with Caleb looking out for Josh most of the time. One's standing in Paradise depends on what family they're from, and as a man how they can contribute to its survival. A person's place within this cult is never guaranteed. Josh knows that he's one of the weakest links and is not surprised when he's thrown out of the cult. What is surprising is that Caleb follows him. And that's how the adventure begins for Josh, the shy, naive and gentle soul looking for his niche and Caleb, the stoic and loyal friend who feels the burden to fix everything.
After enduring years of indoctrination, you want the boys to experience happiness. I think cynics will find some of the events that occur too good to be true. I can't say that I disagree entirely considering how as readers we've come to expect plenty of angst when dealing with a troubled past. However, this is about Caleb and Josh's coming of age under different circumstances, on their own terms along with the support of a newfound family. For the first time in their young lives, they can determine the direction of their future. They get to love whom they want. First though, they need to overcome the guilt that's been drilled into them. Then they have to accept who they are. Running away from a religious cult is one thing. Abandoning their way of life and their force-fed doctrine - it's all they've ever known. Coming to terms with their sexuality when they've never had a point of reference - that has to be incredibly overwhelming and confusing. It's harder yet when they're unfamiliar with the outside world.
Readers of the True North series will recognize the name of the farm that Caleb and Josh run to after their escape (Runaway Farms) but that doesn't mean you have to read that series in order to read this. I was pulled into this sweet story and loved every moment of it except for one where I unexpectedly felt a knife to the heart. It was a "gasp" and "wth?" moment. I kid you not! That's how consumed I became with the story and invested in these two as a couple.
Basically if you're a fan of Sabrina Bowen's then you want to read this. If you're new to her, read it. As usual she manages to explore complex situations by putting human faces to them, and she does it without shoving any agenda at you. I always appreciate that about her writing. You hope that Caleb and Josh get their HEA by the end. I just wanted to wrap them up in a tight hug and transfer all those years of love and kindness they'd been denied. I can't wait to see what happens next in Hello Forever.
~ Bel
