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josy's review
2.0
Sooo... That didn't go how I hoped it would. Friends to lovers, second chances, a virgin, first love. All the things that should make a good story, right? Right. Unfortunately, it wasn't for me.
I realize that this is a short story and if we want to have anything resolved in a short story it has to happen quickly. But sorry, this was just too easy for me. In just 12 hours both boys meet again, resolve all their problems, make love for the first time, Rob comes out, and they live happily ever after.
Tommy returns home after being away for 3 years. His last deed before going to London was hitting his best friend Rob as he tried to kiss him. London apparently was eye-opening for Tommy and he realized he's gay after all. Good for him, right? Now he can go back home and claim the only man he's ever loved. And Rob is all for it, of course, although they haven't spoken one word in these three years.
I liked Rob! He is sweet and brave and cute. But Tommy.... OMG, I wanted to deck him myself. How can he return home all new and reformed and out and proud and make Rob feel bad for still being in the closet? London isn't comparable to a small village in the country. I'm glad being in London was good for Tommy and helped him come to terms with who he is. But even if I agree with him that Rob has nothing to be ashamed of, how dare he putting such pressure on Rob?
It's all about what Tommy wants, what Tommy thinks is right, what Tommy knows is best for Rob and it angered me! So, despite the good writing and Rob being adorable, I couldn't stand Tommy's condescending and know-it-all manner and that alone is the reason for this low rating.
I realize that this is a short story and if we want to have anything resolved in a short story it has to happen quickly. But sorry, this was just too easy for me. In just 12 hours both boys meet again, resolve all their problems, make love for the first time, Rob comes out, and they live happily ever after.
Tommy returns home after being away for 3 years. His last deed before going to London was hitting his best friend Rob as he tried to kiss him. London apparently was eye-opening for Tommy and he realized he's gay after all. Good for him, right? Now he can go back home and claim the only man he's ever loved. And Rob is all for it, of course, although they haven't spoken one word in these three years.
I liked Rob! He is sweet and brave and cute. But Tommy.... OMG, I wanted to deck him myself. How can he return home all new and reformed and out and proud and make Rob feel bad for still being in the closet? London isn't comparable to a small village in the country. I'm glad being in London was good for Tommy and helped him come to terms with who he is. But even if I agree with him that Rob has nothing to be ashamed of, how dare he putting such pressure on Rob?
"You should tell him now."
Tommy's eyes narrowed. "Are you ashamed of it?"
Tommy was really glaring now. "You're bothered about whether they think you take it up the arse?" ... "For fuck's sake! Does it matter?"
"I want you as my boyfriend. I want to be able to hold your hand..."
Had Rob always been this slow on the uptake, or was it a farmer thing?
It's all about what Tommy wants, what Tommy thinks is right, what Tommy knows is best for Rob and it angered me! So, despite the good writing and Rob being adorable, I couldn't stand Tommy's condescending and know-it-all manner and that alone is the reason for this low rating.
veritytease's review
4.0
A sweet short story about boyhood crushes and first love set in the height of a sweltering summer.
It's also made me curious about the original anthology this was published in: [b:Summer Lovin'|21761931|Summer Lovin'|Chrissy Munder|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1399771505s/21761931.jpg|25797744]
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It's also made me curious about the original anthology this was published in: [b:Summer Lovin'|21761931|Summer Lovin'|Chrissy Munder|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1399771505s/21761931.jpg|25797744]
the_novel_approach's review
4.0
Short stories are a hard medium to build a believable romance in. Solution? Make it a friends-to-not friends-to lovers story. Give the guys a history, give readers a reason to open their hearts to the conflict that tore them apart, and then give readers some playful and sexy moments, set in an idyllic summer place, to watch those two friends begin to reconnect and start over as something more.
That’s exactly what Josephine Myles has done, and done so well, in By Quarry Lake, the story of a friendship gone in the blink of a kiss, then found again in the time it took for one of those friends to grow and to learn who he is. That’s what Tommy Freestone needed after that kiss from his best friend Rob—the kiss that left him shocked and reeling. Just time.
Myles plays this story out like a slow dance to sweet music. By Quarry Lake is a story about making a second chance, not waiting around in hopes that a chance meeting or a stroke of luck will pave the way to a new beginning. It’s a story about the courage to embrace love, and it even offers readers a little reminder that when you give a person a chance to show they love you, they often do that in the best possible way.
I loved this little story for everything it is—Tommy coming home to right a past wrong, and Rob discovering that home is where the love is.
Reviewed by Lisa for The Novel Approach Reviews
That’s exactly what Josephine Myles has done, and done so well, in By Quarry Lake, the story of a friendship gone in the blink of a kiss, then found again in the time it took for one of those friends to grow and to learn who he is. That’s what Tommy Freestone needed after that kiss from his best friend Rob—the kiss that left him shocked and reeling. Just time.
Myles plays this story out like a slow dance to sweet music. By Quarry Lake is a story about making a second chance, not waiting around in hopes that a chance meeting or a stroke of luck will pave the way to a new beginning. It’s a story about the courage to embrace love, and it even offers readers a little reminder that when you give a person a chance to show they love you, they often do that in the best possible way.
I loved this little story for everything it is—Tommy coming home to right a past wrong, and Rob discovering that home is where the love is.
Reviewed by Lisa for The Novel Approach Reviews
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