Mutual respect and rising desire bring Jordan and Luke closer than they ever imagined, and each man must come to terms with their past as they struggle to create a future together. And learning to trust in themselves and love again after tragedy and a lifetime of pain, may be the only thing that saves them in the end.
and down. “Ow.” He rubbed his arm when Drew elbowed him. “Don’t get mad at me,
baby. You know he does. Look at him.”
better.
to trail behind him back through the house and into the spaciouskitchen. Sunlight
poured onto the terra-cotta floors and glinted off the glass-fronted maple
cabinets. The kitchen was his pride and joy, and when he and Keith bought the
brownstone, it had been the only room he cared about decorating. Jordan had
always loved staring out of the large bay window as he relaxed with his cup of
coffee in the morning.
vodka bottles.
stomach, he lashed out.
even though Jordan knew how happy Drew was, the man still irritated the hell
out of him.
nor derided him. Instead, it held an overall note of sadness, mixed with
empathy that pulled Jordan up short. “You sit here, night after night, refusing
our dinner invitations, as well as any social contact with Rachel, Mike, or
even Esther. Don’t think we don’t know what you’re doing and why.”
the usual sarcastic attitude he dished out to everyone. “I’m not in the mood
for company; that’s all.”
that doesn’t mean you don’t go on living. When your only company since he died
has been vodka or whiskey, you’re heading for disaster.”
lost weight, skipped days at the hospital, and I was told that during surgery
last week—”
“What the fuck, man? You’re not my goddamn keeper.” Humiliation, shame, and a
sense of despair tore through him as he turned away from his two friends to go
back and sit at the kitchen table. He ran his hands over the battered wood of
the long farmhouse table. He remembered how happy he and Keith had been to find
it in the small Pennsylvania town they’d stumbled upon oneSaturday. Making love
on top of it after lugging it up the stairs of the brownstone was a memory
etched forever in his mind. He gripped the edge of the table to steady himself.
than anyone else. People might think Drew Klein was sweet and easygoing, but
Jordan knew the core of steel within his friend. Drew refused to back down if
he thought he could help. True to form, Drew dropped into the chair right next
to him, challenging and direct.
deep breath and smiled into Drew’s face. “What is it?”
usual anger. “I’m not checking up on you. It’s common knowledge that you showed
up to your first surgery since Keith died and had to wait an extra hour to
start because you had the shakes.” Drew’s mouth thinned to a hard line. “Are
you crazy showing up drunk for surgery? You could lose your fucking license,
for God’s sake.”
before.”
Jordan? You can come up with a better one than that.”
unflinching, his eyes soft and knowing. “I know you’re still having a hard time
moving on from Keith’s death, but it’s going to be a year soon.”
already?” Horrified, Jordan swept his hand across the table, sending the empty
bottles and food containers crashing to the floor. “Could you forget Ash so
quickly? Keith and I were together for almost four years. Stop pressuring me to
move on with my life. It’s over for me. There will never be anyone else.”
After the Fire by Felice Stevens
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
whew…i’m not gonna lie, i was hot pissed at felice for what happened to keith in book 1. and i had reservations about reading this book because i really wasn’t ready for jordan to move on. and apparently he wasn’t ready to move on either. his pain in this book was palpable and i felt it to my soul. it was luke’s kick in the a$$ that started to wake him up and make him human again.
jordan becomes more likeable in this book than in the first. those that are ash fans probably didn’t care for the way he treated ash in the first book and some of that continues here. you really start to see him for the amazing man he is though as you watch him struggle to recover and fall in love again.
luke was hiding behind a mountain of hurt. he had no idea what ash went through and resented him for it…for a long time. he became a shell of a man – not unlike ash. he really just wanted someone to share his life and love him and be there for him through his life. he had major abandonment issues (not unfounded).
while this story will bring you to your knees a couple of times there are so many great things about it. we still have the great characters – wanda, esther, rachel, mike and lots of drew and ash. the anticipation of ash and luke coming face to face was tangible. i was sitting on pins and needles waiting. WOW! we got hope for a new young character. of course, there was a dog :). there was a lot of love and healing in this book. and the writing was as good as the rest of ms. stevens books! can’t wait for brandon’s book!!
I live in New York City with my husband and two children and hopefully soon a cat of my own. My day begins with a lot of caffeine and ends with a glass or two of red wine. I practice law but daydream of a time when I can sit by a beach somewhere and write beautiful stories of men falling in love. Although there is bound to be angst along the way, a Happily Ever After is always guaranteed.
