The Broken Road in Queereaders

Dec 08, 2008 Daisiemae rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-read-in-2009, e-book, books-to-i-will-never-part-with, male-male-romance-erotica, books-reviewed-in-2009, contemporary-romance

The Broken Road is a bittersweet love story between two best friends. The book spans from when the heroes meet in 2nd grade, become best friends, and then evolves over the next 25 years. It was a test of patience for me. There were times when I wanted to throw in the towel on this one. Not because the book was badly written, or I didn’t care about the characters, because I did, but there is a definite element of sadness within the story, that I wasn’t prepared for.

Now don’t get me wrong, there The Broken Road is a bittersweet love story between two best friends. The book spans from when the heroes meet in 2nd grade, become best friends, and then evolves over the next 25 years. It was a test of patience for me. There were times when I wanted to throw in the towel on this one. Not because the book was badly written, or I didn’t care about the characters, because I did, but there is a definite element of sadness within the story, that I wasn’t prepared for.

Now don’t get me wrong, there is a very happy ending, and watching Ardie and West come to grips with their feelings for one another was a beautiful thing to see. It’s just a long process getting there, and when it does happen it made the wait worthwhile.

From the day they met in 2nd grade Ardie and West have been best friends. Ardie is the responsible one, while West is the dreamer. They’re inseparable throughout their childhood, and they overcome many obstacles together. Ardie knows he’s in love with West, but is afraid to let his feeling show for fear of losing him. Plus, they live in a small community where homosexuality is not readily acceptable.

As soon as he is able, West moves away, going to college and working to fulfill his dream of being a writer. As much as it pains Ardie to watch West leave, he knows his place is on the farm, taking care of his siblings and watching over his family. Ever since his parents has passed, they need him, so it was never a choice for him to give up his dream of being with West because taking care of his family is the right thing to do.

Through out the years, West and Ardie still remain close friends. When West comes out of the closet to Ardie, and brings his boyfriend over during one visit, Ardie is happy that West has found someone to love him like he thinks he deserves. Ardie never confesses his feelings toward West, so watching Ardie being around West and his boyfriends was not only torture for him, but for me as well.

When West’s life is put into danger, Ardie immediately drops everything and goes to him to protect and help him. As adults, they haven’t been able to spend as much time together because of their busy lives. Now, because West’s life is in danger, Ardie and West are together more, and it’s harder for Ardie to fight his attraction to his best friend. And when West finally realizes that he too is attracted to Ardie, the book became impossible for me to put down. I was so thrilled when they finally give into their feelings for one another; I finished it in one setting.

I really did love this book. As I stated it does take time for them to come together, but it was well worth the wait! There were times I thought that West was insensitive, but in all fairness, he was unaware of Ardie’s feelings toward him, so it really wasn’t his fault. Believe me, I did want to shake both of them at times and tell them to get a clue!

I think Sean Michael is a very versatile writer. The man can write everything from paranormal, contemporaries, cowboys, BDSM and just about everything in-between. Reading The Broken Road, reminded me exactly how much I love his writings. I hope y’all will give this one a shot. It’s worth the wait.
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