Review: Love this series
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 10, 2013
Ticket Home is a little bit different from the other stories in this anthology in that the hero and heroine already know each other. After reading the story though, I figured out that while they were lovers and even lived together they weren't really connecting as a couple and there is a lot they don't know about one another, thus they are essentially strangers. There is a lot of hurt between these two and watching them try to work out their differences while riding the commuter train from Connecticut to New York is entertaining and at times amusing.Amy has moved across country for a job, leaving Jeff and their life together. She's moved on and is learning to enjoy her new life when one day Jeff appears on the train she's commuting to work on. He wants to talk and try and convince her to come "home" to Seattle. She doesn't want to talk and ends up somewhat inadvertedly setting security on him. That doesn't discourage him and he continues to join her on her commute to and from work sometimes "entertaining" the other people in the cars as they discuss their failed relationship.I have to say that I really enjoyed this story. It was evident that even though Jeff was hurt from Amy leaving, he was trying very hard to make up for his mistakes. He's far from perfect; in fact he proves he's not, but I do think he was truly trying. Amy has some baggage from her past that is keeping her from believing that Jeff intends to change. While that's understandable, she's punishing him for the deeds of others. While I can understand her issues, I sometimes felt she was really hard on Jeff.Following some very sexy moments where it looks like they might reconnect, life once again intrudes and they go back to being on opposite sides. Thankfully Jeff receives some very sage advice from his business partner and Amy gets some from a very unlikely source, a man only referred to as "Brooklyn Guy", who rides the train with her.Brooklyn Guy is one of those characters that I'm sure the author expects to be a minor character but I'm half in love with him because he's funny, outspoken, and asks some really important questions that makes Amy think.Ticket Home is a well developed and gratifying story for a novella. I found myself totally caught up in this story and these characters. While I'm happy with the way it turned out, I'll admit I'd like to know what happens on the second leg of Amy and Jeff's journey. I'm hoping one day we'll find out.Review copy provided for an honest review.