Review: Fell in love with a short story
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 8, 2012
This contemporary short story is a captivating look at love lost and love unexpectedly found under the most dire circumstances. Lanyon's superior writing talent, understanding of the military and of social issues combine to produce a heady, fast-paced action thriller set in war. The expert use of flashbacks allow us significant peeks into the past, which gives us meaningful insight into the present. Moments in this story are tender, comical, emotionally draining and so satisfying! When Vic and Sean are frantically trying to escape the Taliban and tell each other how they feel,  it was ... well, I cried.  Josh Lanyon writes romance to lust after and I do.This story was first published as part of an anthology of short stories, so I find it distressing that some reviewers rate this work by its length instead of by the quality of the writing and storytelling. The short story remains a vital - although challenging to do well - genre. O'Henry must be turning over in his grave to learn that story length is, for some, a determiner of an author's worthiness. It's not about the length, it's about the rich, emotional moments and lovely characters Lanyon gives us. Well, that and the lyrical, articulate writing he consistently delivers.