Review: Not as stand alone as I thought.
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 02 1, 2014
This story is part of series featuring Rusty and Sean and I've been told it stands alone well. In some ways it does but I do feel I may have liked it better if I'd read the preceding books, which I haven't.This is a slice of life story, looking at Sean and Rusty after what I perceive was the honeymoon phase. They are going back to New Orleans to see Rusty's family but Sean is a bucket of nerves and mental issues and what may seem like a simple trip for some is fraught with triggers for him. They make it back, find out things are not as bad as it seems, there's a little family resolution, the end. This is why I call it a slice of life story, it's just a piece of of the life puzzle.Unfortunately this book wasn't to my taste. It came out to 72 pages in ADE and still felt too long. I didn't find much story in this. We know Sean has problems stemming from an abusive childhood but we don't have many specifics. He's afraid of flying for reasons we don't know. He's passive aggressive, has trust issues, blah, blah, blah. I get it, he's a mess. As for Rusty, he swings from guilt for putting Sean through this, righteous indignation that he has to feel guilty about wanting to see his family, and childish resentment when home is not what he expected. With so many issues banging against each other, I didn't feel the chemistry between the two.I am pleased, however, that the resolution with Sean's family was not nice and neat and tied in a little bow.Again, had I read the first three stories I may have felt this installment answered some questions and brought some issues to rest. Instead I felt disconnected and even bored at times. Not a series I would continue.I received a copy of this story free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review.