From the Bookshelf of Read with Pride Northwest…

Lone Star

Josh Lanyon

Discussion: GRNW Featured Reads

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 5 topics — 20 comments total

GRNW Featured Reads

December 2013 GRNW Read - Lone Star by Josh Lanyon
By ttg · 5 posts · 16 views

last updated Jan 13, 2015 05:09AM

December 2013 GRNW Read - Among the Living by Jordan Castillo Price
By ttg · 7 posts · 9 views

last updated Dec 22, 2013 06:17PM

What Members Thought

Jul 27, 2012 ttg rated it really liked it

Shelves: m-m, reviews

This is a lovely holiday novella from Lanyon. The story focuses on professional ballet dancer Mitch, who returns to his Texas hometown under the guise of taking care of his deceased father’s affairs, but is really running from the realization that his lover of several years was cheating on him. But once he’s back, he faces more realizations, including a town that hadn’t forgotten about him, and a first love that wasn’t as over as he thought it was.

I’m a big fan of Lanyon’s works, including his C This is a lovely holiday novella from Lanyon. The story focuses on professional ballet dancer Mitch, who returns to his Texas hometown under the guise of taking care of his deceased father’s affairs, but is really running from the realization that his lover of several years was cheating on him. But once he’s back, he faces more realizations, including a town that hadn’t forgotten about him, and a first love that wasn’t as over as he thought it was.

I’m a big fan of Lanyon’s works, including his Christmas stories. (Beside Lone Star, the others are Icecapade and The Dickens With Love.) I like how Lanyon mixes his straight-forward, non-fluffy style with the warm themes often found in a holiday romance. (Love, redemption, forgiveness, home, family, and new beginnings.)

Lanyon’s storytelling usually mixes mystery with romance, so Lone Star really stands out for being a “straight-up” romance story (no crime to solve this time!) that follows two men reconnecting after years of separation. A lot of poignancy is added as Mitch comes to terms with his father’s death (and his father’s bitter feelings towards Mitch coming out and wanting to be a dancer), and also his struggles to understand his reignited feelings for Web (and the fears tied with it.)

At 26,000 words, it is a pretty fast read, but a very nice and warm one. (I may have been watching too much Longmire, but I kept picturing Web as a younger version of Robert Taylor, which was pretty yummy actually.) I really liked Web, and I liked how his easy-going nature seemed to balance and temper Mitch’s more high-strung and worried personality. It was easy to see that they had years of experience with each other, even with the twelve year gap between meetings.

For fans of Lanyon’s work, or for fans of contemporary m/m romance in general, this story may very easily warm up your holiday spirit.

And for those who have already read it, there is a nice Christmas Coda with Mitch and Web over at Lanyon’s blog. ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Apr 16, 2018 Aimee rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2018

This was a quick, enjoyable read. The resolution felt too quick, but I enjoyed the characters and the HEA.

Like · see review

Mar 17, 2014 Kristie rated it it was ok

Well, that ending was disappointing.

Like · see review

Nov 23, 2018 Jules Lovestoread rated it it was amazing

4.5 stars. I loved this so much. The only thing that kept me from giving it five stars was the ending, which I felt was too abrupt. :/ I would have happily read a novella length story about Mitch and Web. Loved, loved, loved. <3

Like · see review