Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #182637 in Books
• Published on: 2002-08-01
• Released on: 2002-08-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 216 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781599982151
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Customer Reviews

Poignant and heartwarming romance
This is a quiet, low-key, somewhat sad and very heartwarming story about two very decent characters.

After his long-term lover dies in an accident, painter Paul Gordon feels the need to get away and start from scratch somewhere else, somewhere he won't have to live with the constant memories. He decides to move right across the country from Seattle and settles in the small town of Willow Bend in South Carolina.

One of the first people he meets there is the handsome waiter at the good restaurant in town, Cory Saunders. Cory makes him feel a spark of attraction, something he'd been unsure he'd ever feel again. As for Cory, he returns Paul's attraction, but his life isn't easy. He's got his hands full with his mother, who's in a coma and requires around-the-clock care, as well as with earning enough money to be able to pay for that care and her treatment.

And that's what this book is about, really. There's nothing exotic or over-the-top happening, just the heartbreak and hope of regular life. And the two characters' issues are just as normal: Paul is still getting over the sorrow of losing the man he'd thought he'd be with forever, while Cory is dealing with the situation with his mom. But the fact that these issues were so commonplace didn't make them any less powerful, because the feelings involved rang true. With Cory, for instance, I was struck by the way he was so conflicted about how he feels about it all. My heart broke for him because he was so disturbed by how at times he feels he'd actually prefer it if she died, not just to end her suffering, but because he's just soooo tired. A very human feeling, that, especially because it's so obvious that he adores his mother and he'd sacrifice his life for her.

The romance was lovely. I liked the tenderness of Cory and Paul's relationship, and again, I loved how normal the conflict between them was, and how true it rang, at the same time. The main issue among them is money, that Cory lacks it and has to practically break his back to make ends meet and yet, won't accept Paul's offers for help, even though Paul intends them as something very far from the charity Cory fears they might be.

When they solve their problems, this is a relationship that I really felt would last forever, both because of how maturely they dealt with their issues and because these two together are much more than just hot sex. And speaking of the love scenes, they were both hot and sweet, but I did feel they were a little too numerous. After a while, some of them weren't really adding much to the story. In fact, having so many of them didn't fit the tone of this sweet, sad story. I wonder if this has something to do with gay romance having the Erotica label tacked on it, whether the story is about sex or not?

Another minor problem was that Blue seems fond of dropping pronouns, especially at the beginning of the story. This wasn't as heavy as in other stories I've read, but there were quite a few "Want you"s and "Need you"s, and I kept rewriting the dialogue in my mind.

All in all, a lovely story. Even the setting was heartwarming. Willow Bend is almost fairy tale-like in how everyone is so open-minded and tolerant, and how people care about each other. Other than one bigot (who actually doesn't do any more than glare a bit), everyone's good and kind and caring, and that's just what this book is like.

Outstanding book!!!!
I bought Willow Bend a couple of weeks ago along with some unrelated DVDs because I wanted a gay novel to read. It wasn't until this past Sunday, however, when I actually opened the book for the first time...and I didn't close it until I had devoured all 203 pages in one sitting. Willow Bend is one incredible book! The sex scenes are unbelievably erotic, yet they mesh perfectly with one helluva good story and involve some very well-developed characters. I can't remember the last time ANY book affected my emotions as much as this one did. I can't recommend it enough.

The one question I have relates to the author, Ally Blue. Is that a pseudonym for a gay man, or did a straight woman (the book is dedicated to "my husband") really write this book? If it's the latter, then I'm REALLY impressed because the descriptions of the sexual liaisons between the two main characters is nothing short of utterly phenomenal.

What a beaut!
This story oozes lots of positive experiences and contains two circumstances relating to death that, combined smartly, create an outstanding, smooth escape from world reality for the reader. There were numerous scenes that made me wish I could shrink and move right through the paper and into them! Upon finishing it, I experienced an extremely satisfying closure. I loved this book!