Review: A great ending to this series
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 10, 2014
This is a partial review. Please read my full review posted on the Smoocher's Voice blog.Liam and Sam, Paul and Olaf, and Wig and Nibs are “Six gay men and all of them in love, causing a stir among the tourists.” While there are many characters in Sue Brown’s Isles series, these six men are the heart and soul of the books. With a heavy dose of realism, Brown wraps up this series with the third book, Isles of Waves.Brown does a great job melding fairy tale romances with real life in this series. These three main couples have been through a lot of drama, but in Isles of Waves, it seems everyone will have their happily ever after without much ado. The book begins with the wedding of Liam and Sam on the Isle of Wight, the place where their romance began. The Owens family in all its glory is in full celebration mode, and Wig and Nibs, the established couple of the group of men are catering the event. Wig and Nibs are tired and happy as they head home to the Blue Lagoon, their residence and restaurant for a good night’s sleep. While they were out, their livelihood has been vandalized.Nibs and Wigs have been together for years. Physically they are complete opposites. Nibs is large and intimidating. Wig is smaller and more effeminate. Their love for each other is strong, but as William Shakespeare wrote, “The course of true love never did run smooth.” The vandalism seems to unravel Nibs, and not only he is not forthcoming with his feelings, but he pulls away from Wigs, who is clearly vulnerable and upset. Add to that the fact that Nibs is keeping a pretty big secret from Wigs and you have some undeniable tension between the two men.Debating on whether they should stay and rebuild, or leave and start some place new, Nibs and Wig are unsure what to do. As they are prone to do, the Owens’ family storms in and takes over, offering help, protection and their business skills. As a temporary measure, the multi-generational Owens family comes to the rescue helping with the investigation, running the restaurant and helping Wig and Nibs try to obtain some type of normalcy.Brown does a wonderful job developing these characters throughout the series. Although readers have met Wig and Nibs in the first two books, Brown’s concentration on this couple in the last book helps the readers understand not only Wig and Nibs, but also all of the characters better.Through writing skills and a bit of plot manipulation, Brown contrasts the relationship of Wig and Nibs, two men, with Jim and Mattie, the matriarch and patriarch of the Owens clan; Paul and Olaf, the newest couple; and Sam and Liam, the newlyweds. Between the couples’ actions and words and the sage comments of Rose, Brown develops a chaotic and loving family dynamic.Although all of the aspects of the series are not neatly tied up with a ribbon, (as Brown notes immigration laws can be long and tedious) Brown has done a great job putting the proverbial cherry on top of the Isle of Wight series. The open ended resolve to some of the conflicts, the angst, and, of course, the sadness of a death, adds an element of realism to the story.