Story:
5
Narration:
5
5.0Overall score
Wonderful, Angsty, HEA.
Falling Down By Eli Easton, Narrated By Michael Stellman
Genre: Contemporary Romance, GLBTQ, MM
Released: April 17, 2019
Publisher: Pinkerton Road LLC
Cover Design: Tiferet Design
Josh finds himself homeless at 18, but he has a plan. He’ll head north on the bus to New England and spend October there for his mother’s sake. She always talked about going to see the fall leaves someday. And when the leaves are done and the harsh winter comes, Josh plans to find a place to curl up and let go. It will be a relief to finally stop fighting.
Mark spent his life trying to live up to the tough swagger of his older brothers until he pushed himself so far against his nature that he cracked. Now a former Marine, he rents a little cabin in the White Mountains of New Hampshire where he can lick his wounds and figure out what to do with the rest of his life. One thing was clear: Mark was nobody’s hero.
Fate intervenes when Josh sets up camp under a covered bridge near Mark’s cabin. Mark recognizes the dead look in the young stranger’s eyes, and he feels compelled to do something about it. When Mark offers Josh a job, he never expects that he’ll be the one to fall.
The snow is coming soon. Can Mark convince Josh that the two of them can build a life together before the flurries begin?
Trigger warning: Suicidal thoughts
Reviewed by ButtonsMom2003
Wonderful, Angsty, HEA.
This must be my week for reading angsty books as this is my second one in a row. ? I love a good angsty story with an HEA and this one is fantastic. While I have a couple of other audiobooks in my library performed by Michael Stellman, this is the first one I’ve listened to. His voice was absolutely perfect for this story.
Josh is a homeless teenager whose mother has just died. He’s despondent but decides to go to New England to see the fall leaves like his mother always wanted to do. He ends up under a bridge near Mark’s cabin.
Mark is a veteran of the Marine Corp where he served in Afghanistan. He’s always felt like an outsider in his family; he’s not the macho guy his brothers are and his time in the Corp didn’t change that. He’s finally come to terms with being gay but there’s no way he can admit that to his family.
This story grabbed me from the beginning and broke my heart. Fortunately, it has an HEA but let me tell you, getting there was not easy. This is probably the most painful story I’ve ever listened to and at the same time one of the most beautiful.
Mark takes Josh under his wing, hiring him to help him paint a house he needs to get finished. The two grow closer together and become lovers. Josh has a very sensitive soul and he begins to feel close to the old woman whose house they are painting.
The book carries a warning for suicidal thoughts. Sometimes I think warnings are over done for books but I think it was appropriate for this one. If you’ve ever felt depression, and wondered if life is really worth hanging around, be forewarned that this story may be too intense for you.
♥♥♥♥♥
O Factor: Scorcher
Having been, at various times and under different names, a minister’s daughter, a computer programmer, a game designer, the author of paranormal mysteries, a fan fiction writer, and organic farmer, Eli has been a m/m romance author since 2013. She has over 30 books published.
Eli has loved romance since her teens and she particular admires writers who can combine literary merit, genuine humor, melting hotness, and eye-dabbing sweetness into one story. She promises to strive to achieve most of that most of the time. She currently lives on a farm in Pennsylvania with her husband, bulldogs, cows, a cat, and lots of groundhogs.
In romance, Eli is best known for her Christmas stories because she’s a total Christmas sap. These include “Blame it on the Mistletoe”, “Unwrapping Hank” and “Merry Christmas, Mr. Miggles”. Her “Howl at the Moon” series of paranormal romances featuring the town of Mad Creek and its dog shifters has been popular with readers. And her series of Amish-themed romances, Men of Lancaster County, has won genre awards.
Amazon | Blog | Bookbub | Contact | Facebook Author Page | Facebook Group Page | Goodreads | Twitter | Website
Previous:
Release Blitz, Review Tour and Giveaway: Escaping Camp Roosevelt by Bryan T. Clark
Next:
Release Blitz and Review: Made for You by Anyta Sunday
You may also like
-
13 OctRelease Blitz, Review, Excerpt and Giveaway: Learning Curve by N.R. Walker
Giveaway5 STARS!!! Cobey and Vincent. New year, new classes, new roommates. This was going to be a hell of a year. And one very steep learning curve for both of them.
-
4.0
30 MayReview: Midnight Marked by Chloe Neill
FantasyAs the Chicagoland Vampires series continues, Merit and Ethan find themselves in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, where winning may require the ultimate sacrifice...
-
01 AprBlog Tour / Giveaway: Acting Happy by Rylie Roberts
Author SpotlightsKenzie Stanton’s constantly matchmaking mother won’t take a hint. At twenty-eight years old, she’d learned rainbows and fairy-tales don’t exist. She swears if she ever gets back on her feet, and out of the hot water her ex landed her in, she’ll embrace a new life that’s relationship-free. When a tall, handsome man with sexy eyes and a smoking-hot body shows up in her family’s store, she has no trouble ignoring him. Until his kindness and genuine nature truly test her resolve.
-
5.0
06 JanBlog Tour / Review / Giveaway: Off the Clock by Roni Loren
Author SpotlightsMarin Rush loves studying sex. Doing it? That’s another story. In the research lab, Marin’s lack of practical knowledge didn’t matter, but now that she’s landed a job at The Grove, a high-end, experimental sex therapy institute, she can’t ignore the fact that the person most in need of sexual healing may be her. ~ A very sexy read. It’ll have you wanting to role-play and indulge in all kinds of sensual games.
