Review: one of the best of 2013
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 21, 2013
I was drawn to this book initially, not necessarily because of its interesting synopsis, but its ghostly cover, which has so many intriguing connotations. I knew this was the book for me. Sarah Madison is a master storyteller and although for the majority of The Boys of Summer we only have two characters on one island, Rick and David are so animated and the description of the island is so vivid that we need nothing else.I found myself turning the pages as quickly as I could because Sarah Madison made me care about these characters and this was not affected by their sexuality, but just by the eloquent and beautiful way in which she tells their story; they fall in love tentatively and defend themselves with a dry humor, yet when their defenses fall we see their true hearts.I think Sarah Madison's narrative highlight is David's dream, in his weakened, delirious and dehydrated state. It is with the dream the author allows the idea of connecting with the paranormal to enter the plot, as we see both men in their parallel lives during World War 2. I found myself completely enraptured by the men's historical stories and had to reach for a tissue (or two!), finding the way Sarah Madison so seamlessly blended this into the present very clever, whilst also revealing the dream's effect on David.This book is one of the best I have read this year, in its honesty and the way in which Sarah Madison develops the romance. I urge all readers to pick this up, whether they are fans of M/M relationships or not and just appreciate good writing!I received this as a review copy, but this has had no influence on my opinion.