Far Away is only the second book I’ve read by Bryan T. Clark. I loved it but in a different way from Escaping Camp Roosevelt (here is my review of that book). I’m trying to think of the best way for me to describe this book and how it made me feel.

Unlike a lot of books I read and love, Far Away didn’t bring me to tears until near the very end. And yet, I was totally captivated and couldn’t put it down until my e-reader about fell out of my hands when I needed to sleep.

It’s a romance for sure, but it’s also so much more. The book starts in present day and then goes back twelve years to when Noah and Spiro first meet. It stays there for about half of the book before it returns to the present again. There’s no awkward jumping around during the two time periods and it flows very smoothly.

Noah knows that he is gay but at 18-years-old he has no significant sexual experience. He is starved for affection; his parents are cold and distant. When he meets Spiro, he is smitten. Spiro is attentive and fun to be with and they spend a wonderful summer together until it ends abruptly. This time period in the book is filled with the rush of new love and exploration. It took me back to when my husband and I started dating as young teenagers.

When we return to present day there is a lot of doubt and angst on Noah’s part. He’s determined to find Spiro but it’s not easy. When they do reconnect, Noah is very unsure of Spiro’s feelings. I have to admit that for a while I wondered if things would ever work out. But this is a romance and you can’t have a romance without an HEA or at least an HFN, so I knew that Bryan would get Noah and Spiro there.

The author’s descriptive prose made me feel like I was right there with Noah and Spiro – when they were in New Hampshire and again when they were in Greece. I’ve been to New Hampshire but now I really want to visit the island where Spiro lives.

I knew before beginning to read Far Away that it was a long book (for me anyway) but I never once felt like it dragged or should have left parts of the story out. I know this is going to sound really weird but I absolutely mean it as a compliment… because of the depth to the story, Far Away reminded me of some of the best women’s fiction books I’ve read. There were hot and sexy scenes in the book but you could remove or tone them down and you would still have a wonderful book to read. Gah, now I made it sound like there was too much sex or that it was too gratuitous and that is not the case at all. Just read this book, it’s a good one.

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“Good morning, Mr. Rothenberg.” Eros put a hand on his knee to steady himself as he stood. Aloof in the shadows, Spiro held his gaze on him. Noah couldn’t look away as Spiro’s eyes washed over him from head to toe. Were they brown or green? Afraid he’d stared too long, he broke eye contact, his eyes sweeping past the visitor’s long dark sideburns that cupped his ears.

“Sorry to disturb you.” Noah’s voice cracked. He cleared his throat and tried to put on a cool and collected face, not wanting to seem like the dork that he was. “I was hoping you could help this morning with the rowboat.” His thumb pointed to the boathouse, but his eyes remained on Spiro. Face-to-face, Eros’s nephew was… beautiful. A statue of beauty.

Noah tried to look away but couldn’t. Yes, Spiro was a hair taller than he. His square jawline, straight nose, and jade eyes rimmed in gold were mesmerizing. Noah’s heart sped as he broke eye contact. Excitement swirled in his gut at the proximity of this Adonis.

“Sure.” Eros tossed his hammer into his box of tools. Noah’s eyes followed Eros as Eros turned and spoke to his nephew.

Noah’s eyes drifted to Spiro’s bow-shaped lips before moving up to his eyes. Their eyes met, causing Noah’s heart to skip a beat. Noah had no idea what he saw in those cat eyes that were staring intensely back at him and caused his heart to flutter. It wasn’t disdain, dominance, or dismissal, the usual looks his peers gave him upon meeting him for the first time. It was… he’s really looking at me.

Everything about Spiro enthralled him. No longer wishing away the next two months before he could escape to Harvard, he was cautiously excited about the summer.

“Hi, I’m Noah.” He felt the heat of a blush on his cheeks as he extended his hand. Spiro looked directly at him; his deep stare instantly pinned Noah. His dark locks of hair, jet black, ran the length of his neck and curled at the nape of his neck. Noah tried to release a breath quietly. Adrenaline pumped through his veins like the multiple streams that fed into Lake Winnipesaukee. He’d never acted this boldly when it came to meeting someone. The way Spiro looked at him gave him the boost of confidence that he could actually stand here and talk to him. This was a first, and it surprised him.

Spiro shook Noah’s hand. “Um, my English is not so good. My name is Spiro.” A deep voice cast from his full lips. Spiro saying his own name sounded more exotic than when Noah’s grandmother said it.

Geeze Louise, his teeth are perfect, too. They’re so freaking white. Noah stumbled over his own words as he searched for something to say. Spiro’s gaze kept Noah from looking for more than a second before lowering his head.