The Preachers Son By Lisa Henry
and J.A. Rock
Genre: Contemporary Romance, GLBTQ, MM
Released: January 16, 2018
Publisher: Self-Published
Jason Banning is a wreck. His leg’s been blown to hell in Afghanistan, his boyfriend just left him and took the dog, and now he’s back in his hometown of Pinehurst, Washington, a place that holds nothing but wretched memories…and Nathan Tull. Nathan Tull, whose life Jason ruined. Nathan Tull, who will never believe Jason did what he did for a greater good. Nathan Tull, whose reverend father runs the gay conversion therapy camp that Jason once sought to bring down—at any cost.
Nathan Tull is trying to live a quiet life. Four years ago, when Nate was a prospective student visiting UW, his world collapsed when senior Jason Banning slept with him, filmed it, and put the footage online. A painful public outing and a crisis of faith later, Nate has finally begun to heal. Cured of the “phantoms” that plagued him for years, he now has a girlfriend, a counselor job at his dad’s camp, and the constant, loving support of his father.
But when he learns Jason is back in town, his carefully constructed identity begins to crumble. As desperate to reconcile his love for God with his attraction to men as Jason is to make sense of the damage he’s done, Nate finds himself walking a dangerous line. On one side lies the righteous life he committed himself to in the wake of his public humiliation. On the other is the sin he committed with Jason Banning, and the phantoms that won’t let him be. But is there a path that can bridge those two worlds—where his faith and his identity as a gay man aren’t mutually exclusive?
And can he walk that path with the man who betrayed him?
Reviewed by ButtonsMom2003
A very thought provoking story.
I’m having a hard time writing a review for this story. On the one hand, I liked it a lot and felt the writing was excellent; I couldn’t put it down. On the other hand, the whole concept of gay conversion camps is abhorrent. And the idea that someone could abuse Nathan the way that Jason did turns my stomach.
The blurb clearly lays out the story so I won’t rehash it. I will say that I like books where a “bad character” is able to be redeemed. I know that some people won’t feel that Jason deserves to be redeemed but the story also shows how much he suffered for what he did to Nathan and I believe he came to be truly sorry for the damage that he caused.
Stories with religion in them are usually very controversial. I’ve read other books where gay characters struggle to reconcile their faith with their fundamentalist upbringing. I thought this story treated Nathan’s struggle in a respectful way.
Perhaps one of the best signs that the authors have written a good story is the fact that it has stirred up so many feelings. Whether you agree or disagree with what they wrote, or the fact that it is classified as a romance, doesn’t negate the fact that the story is well written, IMHO.
♥♥♥♥
O Factor: Scorcher
Jason saw Nathan as soon as he stepped out of his car. Nathan had been walking toward the office building, but stopped when he spotted Jason. Jason wouldn’t have been surprised to see him suddenly topple like one of those fainting goats. Then, he seemed to recover, and began to walk forward again.
“Can I help you with anything?” he asked, as though Jason was a stranger.
Jason resisted the temptation to look him up and down slowly. Pretty sure if there was a God, it was His idea of a joke to make Nathan Tull so damn fuckable. No starched shirt or ruthlessly gelled hair today. Nate wore a blue T-shirt that showed off tanned arms. His sandy hair was almost shaggy, the ends curling at his ears. His lips were parted slightly; clear hazel eyes met Jason’s.
“Hey, Nathan.”
“I go by Nate now.”
“Sorry. Nate. I came to see you, actually.”
Something flashed in Nate’s gaze. “I can’t imagine why.”
“To apologize.”
Nate regarded him warily. He squinted slightly in the sunlight. “To apologize for what?”
“For what I did to you,” Jason said. Face to face, the words were coming harder than he’d thought, each one threatening to undermine something inside him. He was afraid he’d trigger an avalanche if he had to look Nate in the eye for much longer. “I shouldn’t have used you just to get at your father. At this place.”
“You don’t need to apologize to me.” Nate stepped closer. “You didn’t force me. It was my own weakness that brought me to that point.”
“Weakness?” No, Nate had been strong that night. Brave as shit.
“I should thank you.” Nate rubbed the back of his neck. “You did me a favor. You made me see that I needed the Lord’s guidance and forgiveness. I’m a better man now than I was then.”
“Are you a happier man?” Jason asked sharply.
Nate flinched. “Yes.”
“Liar.” Jason stepped forward, ignoring the pain in his leg.
Nate stared at him, his chest rising and falling rapidly.
“Can I help you with anything?” he asked, as though Jason was a stranger.
Jason resisted the temptation to look him up and down slowly. Pretty sure if there was a God, it was His idea of a joke to make Nathan Tull so damn fuckable. No starched shirt or ruthlessly gelled hair today. Nate wore a blue T-shirt that showed off tanned arms. His sandy hair was almost shaggy, the ends curling at his ears. His lips were parted slightly; clear hazel eyes met Jason’s.
“Hey, Nathan.”
“I go by Nate now.”
“Sorry. Nate. I came to see you, actually.”
Something flashed in Nate’s gaze. “I can’t imagine why.”
“To apologize.”
Nate regarded him warily. He squinted slightly in the sunlight. “To apologize for what?”
“For what I did to you,” Jason said. Face to face, the words were coming harder than he’d thought, each one threatening to undermine something inside him. He was afraid he’d trigger an avalanche if he had to look Nate in the eye for much longer. “I shouldn’t have used you just to get at your father. At this place.”
“You don’t need to apologize to me.” Nate stepped closer. “You didn’t force me. It was my own weakness that brought me to that point.”
“Weakness?” No, Nate had been strong that night. Brave as shit.
“I should thank you.” Nate rubbed the back of his neck. “You did me a favor. You made me see that I needed the Lord’s guidance and forgiveness. I’m a better man now than I was then.”
“Are you a happier man?” Jason asked sharply.
Nate flinched. “Yes.”
“Liar.” Jason stepped forward, ignoring the pain in his leg.
Nate stared at him, his chest rising and falling rapidly.
Lisa Henry likes to tell stories, mostly with hot guys and happily ever afters.
Lisa lives in tropical North Queensland, Australia. She doesn’t know why, because she hates the heat, but she suspects she’s too lazy to move. She spends half her time slaving away as a government minion, and the other half plotting her escape.
She attended university at sixteen, not because she was a child prodigy or anything, but because of a mix-up between international school systems early in life. She studied history and English, neither of them very thoroughly.
She shares her house with too many cats, a dog, a green tree frog that swims in the toilet, and as many possums as can break in every night. This is not how she imagined life as a grown-up.
J.A. Rock is the author of over twenty LGBTQ romance and suspense novels, as well as an occasional contributor to HuffPo Queer Voices. J.A.’s books have received Lambda Literary, INDIE, and EPIC Award nominations, and 24/7 was named one of the best books of 2016 by Kirkus Reviews. J.A. lives in Chicago with an extremely judgmental dog, Professor Anne Studebaker.
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