Summary
Sid Marneaux puts his fashion career on the line when he returns home to care for his ailing father. When he meets the new fire chief Eddie Garner, their romance sparks hot, but Eddie harbors burdens of his own. Through the wisdom of a child and the connection of mothers-now-gone, the men redefine family, career, and most importantly, love.
Excerpt
Happiness doesn’t always come easily; sometimes you have to work for it.
“How is he doing?”
Sid began with a prepared answer, the one he used for old neighbors and family acquaintances. “He’s doing okay. Day to day, you know,” but when he stopped fidgeting with his food and looked into Eddie’s eyes, his breath caught in his throat. Eddie wasn’t making small talk, wasn’t being generically kind. He was tuned in, with an understanding and patience at peeling away the complicated layers of caring for an elderly parent that went beyond what Sid had felt from anyone—even his closest friends.
And so, with Eddie’s unrushed attention, Sid began to unpack the emotions and frustrations he hadn’t yet allowed himself to express. He talked about Anna’s overbearing control and her lack of understanding as to why that would make Lou lash out and became belligerent. He talked about Anna’s calendars and charts and the daily schedule she kept Lou on. About her refusal to let their dad do much of anything. “It’s like she’s already put him in the ground,” he finally said, feeling almost winded after exposing so much of himself, of his family.
“It’s hard on the caretakers,” Eddie said. “It completely takes over your life.”
“It’s hard on the patient too. Dad lived, you know? Just last year, he rode his bike five miles to the park and back almost every day. This is the man who threw on a backpack with a bunch of college buddies and hiked the fucking Hippie Trail. He didn’t stop until he found what he was looking for. He doesn’t stop. And now he has no choice.”
“What was he looking for?”
Sid grinned with memories of his mom and dad and their great love. “He didn’t know until he saw her.”
Eddie met his smile, and a blush crept up his neck. “Sometimes we don’t know what we’re looking for until it’s sitting across the table from us.”
“No,” Sid said, unable to pull his gaze away from Eddie. “We don’t.”
Wow…as much heaviness as there is in this book there is as much sweetness and I absolutely loved it. There is a lot going on in this story and about half of it is heavy. I was brought to tears a couple of times but somehow it didn’t seem so angsty I didn’t want to finish. I’m a big fan of low angst, high romance books. Sid and Eddie’s romance was sweet but not without struggle.
I’m going to start with Sid’s family as they play a major role in the story. Sid is close to his father since he grew up with him as an only parent after his mother’s death. He was really close to his mother but lost her when he was young. There is a LOT of angst with his entire family and they are the cause of most of my tears in the story. Sid and his siblings – Anna and Andrew – are attempting to navigate a life-altering illness in their father. They all lose themselves as they struggle to accept their father’s fate. Anna and Sid eventually find their way back to each other with their relationship renewed and strengthened. Andrew is a lost cause and made me so mad I wanted to throw my kindle across the room. I’m not sure they can come back to their relationship with him, if they ever really had one.
Eddie is going through similar struggles having lost his best friend, and mother of his child recently. Becoming a full-time single dad was not in his plans so there is some adaptation to his new role that hasn’t always been easy. I love Adrian although there were times his dialog was contradictory – he’d spout off a phrase or sentence that was spot on for a 5 year old and other times he’d speak to Sid and Eddie like an adult. He is definitely an integral part to their relationship and the growth they go through together.
Sid and Eddie’s romance was hard and fast, then slow and steady (with a bit of a break between). I loved them together. Their banter was entertaining and endearing – especially the ‘dad jokes’ shared over texts. Their emotions were palpable and I could feel their love right along with them. They both had to do some heavy soul searching to figure out where they wanted to end up. They went through some major ups and downs which really did strengthen their relationship. The ending, when the focus was on their relationship and becoming a family, was pretty damn perfect.
There are additional characters vital to the story that I loved – mostly Rue, Dottie and Sharon – and some I didn’t love – Mitchell.
This is not a quick read but it was hard to put down. As I stated above, some parts of the story were hard to read while other parts were light, easy and lovely to read. The writing was really good (I’m new to this author). The beauty of Sid and Eddie’s personal growth and their love story outweighed the immensity of the struggles endured to get to their happily ever after. I definitely recommend reading this book.
Author Guest Post
Right about this time, when an author is launching a new book, they tend to get asked about the best advice they’ve ever received for writing. I’ve been waiting for it, and spending a lot of time thinking about it lately.
I think the most important advice for writing is: do it your way. That sounds easy, but sometimes it’s hard to figure out what “your way” really is. Do you plot everything out? Do you dive in blind? Do you find a happy medium? Start with what your gut says to do and charge ahead. If one method doesn’t work, back up, and try something else.
I’m still trying to figure out my method. I used to sit down with a seed of an idea and just let the story flow out of me. I’d honestly like to get back to that—it’s when I enjoyed writing the most. Lately, I’m bound by previous reviews, previous editorial comments, nigglings of thoughts of other people that have nothing at all to do with the project I’m currently working on. It’s paralyzing. So, I’m still working out my system, but hoping to find my way back to just getting started, getting words on the page and once I know the characters and story better, then sit down and plot it out further.
I’ve spoken about this in previous book tour stops, but if there is any other absolute advice it’s to ignore the overly-repeated “write what you know.” I much prefer, “Write what you want to know.” Even if you start with what you know, limiting it to your own experience can close the story in. Be a learner when you write. And don’t just use google and Wikipedia to learn. Get up out of your chair and explore. Talk to a librarian—a day at the library can do amazing things for your creativity. When you visit a restaurant, don’t just eat, but ask the waiter questions. You might even get to chat with the chef. Watch people. Keep a notebook handy.
And the last bit of advice I’d give is to be kind to yourself. Write in short bursts and get up and stretch. Step outside and breathe in some fresh air. Allow yourself to write garbage; you can fix it later. If you have a friend read what you’ve written, open your mind up to their suggestions. If the writing is just not happening one day, let it be. Read a book, stare at some TV—but I advise to do so with a notebook nearby. When I take in someone else’s storytelling while mine is failing, I find inspiration in theirs. Themes hit me anew, a mannerism of a character suddenly becomes clear, etc.
About the Author
Lynn Charles’ love of writing dates to her childhood where thoughts, dreams, frustrations, and joys poured onto the pages of journals and diaries.
She lives in Central Ohio with her husband and adult children where a blind dog and his guardian cat rule the roost. When she’s not writing, Lynn can be found planning a trip to New York or strolling its streets daydreaming about retirement. Her previous novels include Chef’s Table (2014) and Black Dust (2016).
Connect with the author at lynncharles.net, on Twitter @lynncharlesnet and on Facebook at facebook.com/lynncharles.net.
BENEATH THE STARS will be published by Interlude Press on February 16, 2017.
Thank you for having me today!
Congrats on the book release!