My dad died last July. Okay, I know what a way to start a Favorite Friday post, major buzz kill, I know. There is a method to my madness, so bear with me. Like I said, my dad died last July and I shut completely down. I stopped reading. Completely just stopped. I went to the library and brought home a ton of books, hoping for something anything to catch my interest so that I could lose myself. I desperately needed to lose myself. I had migraines, panic attacks, days where I didn't know how to process even simple requests or do simple tasks. I have kids, you can't just wallow when you have kids.
In August I started writing, with a vengeance, I've written books for years, even have a couple published under a different pen name, but until August I'd never just buried myself in writing. Since August first I've written five books. August first to February 28, five whole books. Sold three of them.
Double Coverage is available at Liquid Silver Publishing, just follow the links over to the right. The 51st Thursday and In From the Cold are coming soon from Cobblestone Press. Wicked Game and Behind Iron Lace are waiting for me to rewrite and edit before sending off to submission.
Now I guess since I've talked your ear off with my mental problems, I'll get to the point of this post.
I started reading again. I guess I purged whatever demons were eating me, I don't know, or I found a genre that caught my interest or both or well whatever, I'm going to do something I swore I would never do. I'm going to feature a book on this blog, one that is not mine or one of my friends or even here at the author's request. This is a simple fangirl type moment and since this is Favorite Friday I think this applies.
I found this book a couple nights ago over at Dreamspinner Press. DP is strictly a M/M publisher. No girls, except in supporting roles. The first chapter excerpt of this book floored me. It was brutal. I bought it read it all in one sitting then turned around and read it again. My god. I don't ever do that.
Finding Zach is not for the faint of heart, and I don't mean that because there are a couple of guys getting it on. Zach is an extremely damaged young man. He was taken hostage when he was fifteen years old and survived for five years in the Venezuelan jungle in a dog crate. He was barely more than skin and bones when he was found, barely human.
The story skips two years following his rescue, Zach has now regained his health to an extent, but the mental damage is extreme. He's cold, bitter, yet scarily polite. Sometimes the fifteen year old boy that he was is still there other times not so much.
And then there's David, the boy he fell in love with, the reason he was sent away to his aunt in Costa Rico. David was eighteen when Zach kissed him, three years older, and horribly in love. Too young, both of them, David assumed it was just a crush that pushed Zach to kiss him. Zach's parents did too. They sent Zach away hoping he would forget about David. Zach never came back.
But after two years David has returned, he hasn't seen Zach since his rescue. Is operating under the idea that Zach blames him for sending him to hell.He won't see him, can't see him.
But then he meets a guy in a bar, a huge biker bad boy only to discover it's Zach. And that Zach is no longer the sweet little boy he remembers.
This book is not about finding a lost love who just happened to have some bad shit happen to him and moving on from there to a HEA. No Zach is too damaged for that. This story is heartbreaking. Yes there is sex, but you don't really notice it, the story overwhelms you, draws you in. Zach tears you apart, the five years he was away is told in graphic detail and isn't easy to read. David's patience will leave you aching. You forget this is a romance, you forget everything in hopes that Zach can be saved.
I am so glad I found this story, thank you Ms. Speedwell for a story I will never forget.
Mercy
