Time for a coffee and a quick read?
Need something quick to read? Below are a couple of short stories, that can be read in under 30 minutes or so. And they cost less than your cup of coffee! I hope you enjoy!
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Blurb…
Pascal Janssen is terminally ill and tries to help ‘his boys’ Tom and Adam prepare for his death. He hopes that Tom and Adam will come together as a couple, but Adam’s love for Tom seems to have cooled. Will he be able to make a commitment? Beautiful, inspirational, heartrending, but ultimately optimistic Pascal’s Boys is a story about love.
What did I think?
Although dealing with death, this was a heartwarming short story. It was not a romance as such, although Pascal’s boys do love each other. Rather it tells of the feelings of the various characters as they come to terms with Pascal’s impending death.
We learn a bit of the history of how Adam and Tom came to live with Pascal and his wife Eleanor “She believed God denied us babies of our own for a reason, so we’d be ready to open our arms to children who needed not only love, but acceptance and understanding.”
We learn that Pascal had lost his wife and their friend Ian lost his partner Marcus when they were both in an accident. However they found a way to go on. “I try to rejoice in the good years I had with Marcus rather than mourn the years lived without him.”
Yes, it is a sad story but it also tells of the good in the world.
Someone Like You by L.M. Brown
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The Blurb…
Todd Hunter knows Deacon Jones is the one for him, and despite pressure from his family he’s determined they’ll spend the Christmas holidays together. Can he convince Deacon that their different backgrounds shouldn’t keep them apart?
When Todd Hunter went to university, he left behind his boyfriend, Deacon Jones. Todd knows Deacon is the one he wants to spend the rest of his life with, but for some reason Deacon has stopped returning his calls and is ignoring all his letters.
Now Todd is home for the holidays, and he wants to spend them with Deacon. It might not be so easy though. Neither Todd’s family nor Deacon’s are happy about their relationship; and while Todd knows if they stand together they can make it work, convincing Deacon may be the greatest challenge of all.
So what did I think?
Todd is at university and his parents have high hopes for his future. They accept that he is gay but are not keen on his relationship with Deacon. “Making your mark in the world will be hard enough for you as it is, without someone like him holding you back.”
Deacon is working in a garage, learning to be a mechanic. His background includes a drunken father who definitely doesn’t accept his sexuality.
The story starts with Todd preparing to head home for Christmas, very worried because he hadn’t heard from his boyfriend for 3 months (this did seem a bit odd to me and I couldn’t quite grasp why Deacon didn’t at least call Todd or why Todd didn’t try to find him harder during that period).
Todd wants Deacon back, Todd’s family want to keep them apart, Deacon doesn’t feel good enough. Thank goodness for other friends who give good advice. “Deacon, when are you going to get it through that thick skull of yours the most important thing in this life is holding onto love when you find it?”
I found this story pleasant but it was missing any real spark but it’s only a quick story so a nice way to spend half an hour. 2.5 stars
Learn more about L.M. Brown and her books as her website.
Buy from Amazon. See my Short Stories category.
photo credit: javaturtle via photopin cc