Date of Publication: September 15, 2016
Genre and Themes: LGBTQI, Young Adult, Kidnapping, Africa
Format: 200 pages, ebook
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Aaron Anderson
ISBN: 9781634775281
Characters: Isaiah Martin, Henry
Blurb: No good deed goes unpunished, and for seventeen-year-old Isaiah Martin, that’s certainly the case. The gun he was caught with wasn’t even his, for God’s sake. He only had it to keep a friend from doing something stupid. No one wants to hear it though, and Isaiah is banished—or so it seems to him—to live with his missionary father in politically conflicted Cameroon, Africa.
However, when he arrives, his father is so busy doing his good deeds that he sends Henry, the young, surprisingly hot do-gooder with a mysterious past, to pick up Isaiah and keep him out of trouble. Even while Isaiah is counting down the days until he can go home, he and Henry get caught in the political unrest of the region. Kidnapped by militant forces, the two have to work together to survive until they are rescued—unless they manage to find a way to save each other first.
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I’m still contemplating my feelings towards this book so the things you’re about to read would be my ‘just-finished-reaction’ towards it. I so enjoyed Isaiah’s perspective – voice alive, thoughts so vibrant and just overall fun to read. When you say young adult – Isiah is the perfect embodiment of it.
Henry meanwhile is a very fascinating character. I loved that he represent a strong character – a character you’d root for once you get to know him.
The Do-Gooder theme between the men in this book is lovely and all but I find it extremely annoying in the case of Chuck / Dr. Martin because of that twist about his character. It’s so not acceptable for me If I were Isaiah – I am so gonna flip the way he did.
I’m probably going to be in the minority here and I feel that I will be getting a bit of a flock for writing this one because it would seem like I’m making a big deal out of the circumstances the boys have found themselves into but it’s seriously bothered me to no end since finishing the book the other day. I didn’t like what happened with Henry during their captivity. It maybe one of those inevitable things given their circumstances but it was too much for me. Hasn’t the boy endured enough? It was a bit disheartening and I don’t believe for one second that it was nothing to him, that he’s done it before and all that shit. It’s a cruel twist of fate and the story could’ve go on without that scene.
I find the writing extremely thoughtful overall though, I’ve some issues with the story, I still had fun reading it. I also wouldn’t mind reading more from the boys in the future!
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
About The Author
j. leigh bailey is an office drone by day and the author of Young Adult LGBT Romance by night. She can usually be found with her nose in a book or pressed up against her computer monitor. A book-a-day reading habit sometimes gets in the way of… well, everything…but some habits aren’t worth breaking. She’s been reading romance novels since she was ten years old. The last twenty years or so have not changed her voracious appetite for stories of romance, relationships and achieving that vitally important Happy Ever After. She’s a firm believer that everyone, no matter their gender, age, sexual orientation or paranormal affiliation deserves a happy ending.
She wrote her first story at seven, which was, unbeknownst to her at the time, a charming piece of fan-fiction in which Superman battled (and defeated, of course) the nefarious X Luther. She was quite put out to be told, years later, that the character’s name was actually Lex. Her second masterpiece should have been a best-seller, but the action-packed tale of rescuing her little brother from an alligator attack in the marshes of Florida collected dust for years under the bed instead of gaining critical acclaim.
Now she writes Young Adult LGBT Romance novels about boys traversing the crazy world of love, relationships and acceptance.
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