Eskimo Slugger
The Nothingness of Ben, book #3
Brad Boney
Dreamspinner Press (September 29th
2014)
***** 5 Star Review *****
It’s the summer of 1983, and Trent Days is Major League Baseball’s rookie
sensation. Born in Alaska to an Inupiat mother, the press have dubbed him the
Eskimo Slugger, but a midseason collision at home plate temporarily halts his
meteoric rise to the top.
Sent back to Austin to recuperate, Trent
visits his favorite record store, Inner Sanctum, where he meets amiable law
student Brendan Baxter. A skip in the vinyl of New Order’s “Blue Monday” drives
Trent back to Brendan, and their romance takes them into uncharted territory.
As Trent’s feelings move from casual to
serious, he’s faced with an impossible dilemma. Does he abandon any hope of a
future with Brendan and return to the shadows and secrets of professional
sports? Or does he embrace the possibility of real love and leave baseball
behind him forever? As he struggles with his decision, Trent embarks on a
journey of self-discovery—to figure out who he really is and what matters most.
Grab your copy of The Eskimo Slugger now from Dreamspinner Press!
Grab your copy of The Eskimo Slugger now from Dreamspinner Press!
Trent Days is living his dream playing for the Houston Astros, poised to be the
Rookie of The Year. That is until an accident at home plate sends him home to
Austin with a concussion and injured shoulder mid season. While he’s nursing
his wounds, he decides to visit his favourite music store The Inner Sanctum and
add to his vinyl collection. When the record he buys has a scratch in it, Trent
winds up adding more to his life than just some new music.
Brendan Baxter is a fulltime law
student, part time music aficionado and definite lasagne lover. When the Trent Days comes into the music
store where he works, he is star struck. Brendan has followed Trent’s career
from afar since he first started playing. When Trent winds up back at the store
a few hours later, the two wind up having dinner together and make plans for
the next day when Trent gives Brendan a ride home. Over the next week Trent and
Brendan become fast friends and then unsure lovers. While Brendan has known for
a while that his attraction lies with the same sex, Trent has never admitted
the same fact to himself, much less out loud.
There are so many reasons they shouldn’t
get involved. For starters they both deserve to be proud of who they are and
who they are with, and Brendan knows that Trent can’t possibly do that. If the
MLB learned Trent was gay, his career would be over. And Trent himself is
uncertain if he wants to tell the world he’s fallen in love with a man. With
the support of their friends and Brendan’s land lords, the Walsh’s (pause for
reaction, if you’ve read the other two books that lead up to this one) Trent
will discover what lengths a man will go to when your heart is on the line.
This is a story that is rich with
dialogue, Boney’s books always are. He’s quite good at going into great detail
with his characters, what they are feeling, why they are making the decisions
they make and so on. I was invested in the love story of Brendan and Trent from
that first smile in the record store, and I loved how they really got to know
each other before their relationship became a sexual one. There was doubt and
questioning, reasoning why they shouldn’t pursue a relationship, but realizing
the way they felt about each other made it worth all the risks. Sure, there was
those awkward moments early on while they got to know each other, fumbled their
way through a few times. But their passion and chemistry jumped off the pages
and added a depth and reality to their story that was very endearing.
All I can say is that this book was
fanfuckingtastic! I absolutely loved how Boney tied in the characters from the
other two books (1. The Nothingness of Ben 2. The Return) flawlessly within
this story. It’s not a book series per say, but a beginning and an end of the
other stories. While I’m certain you could read this book without having read
the other two, I personally think you will be lost if you don’t. I’m not
kidding when I say that all three stories are tied together, and while the
events don’t happen in a sequential order, you have to read the books in order
to fully understand and appreciate all the events as they take place.
Do you believe in Soul Mates? That love
can literally transcend time and that certain souls are just meant to be? Then
read this book! Take my word for it and read the other two first, if you
haven’t yet. The Nothingness of Ben is probably the best book in the genre, for
me at least. ‘The Earth is Flat’ was pure genius!!
Be sure to check out the first two books in this series, Please, Please, Please read them in order!
A huge thankyou to Brad Boney for offering up an E-book copy of The Eskimo Slugger!
You will need to have or create a Dreamspinner account if you win, the E-book will be awarded by be being added to your 'bookshelf' through DSP by the author.
** 18 + only entries, this is a M/M book and series **
Congrats on your newest release =) It sounds like a fantastic read. Thank you for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteYou are a new author to me. Have added the first 2 books to my tbr list. This sounds great
ReplyDeleteBrad love your books can't wait to read this one.
ReplyDelete