Little Boy Lost, Book Two Jamie is gone. Brian's secret has been revealed. Brian McAllister's story continues as he tries to cope with the loss of his best friend and soul mate amid the alienation and ridicule of his classmates. When hatred turns to violence, Brian narrows his focus to two surviving and finding Jamie. Along the way he meets Adam, whose life has also been shattered by violence and cruelty. Can Adam fill the hole in Brian's life left by Jamie's absence? The answer will change everything.
An award-winning, best-selling novelist of over a dozen books, J. P. Barnaby is a proud member of the GLBT community both online and in her small town on the outskirts of Chicago. A member of Mensa, she is often described as brilliant but troubled, sweet but introverted and talented but deviant. She spends her days writing software and her nights writing erotica which is, of course, far more interesting. The spare time that she carves out between her career and her novels is spent reading about the concept of love, which, like some of her characters, she has never quite figured out for herself.
This series is doing a number on me; it's surprisingly emotional for me and causing me to wrestle with a lot of my own questions of what I can do to help real kids finding themselves in these situations. The storyline isn't new and original...I'm sure there are 100's of other books out there about gay kids, and bullying, and bigotry, and violence...but for some reason Brian and Jamie really stick with me and have gotten under my skin.
I still am not a huge fan of the 1st person POV from Brian. It's just too simplistic (but, again, probably realistic). It gets irritating and I battle the itch to skim (and that's bad news considering the books are short!).
For book 2, I feel like everything that happened didn't necessarily need to have an ENTIRE book devoted to it to move the series along...a lot of repetition of similar scenes. My guess is that I'll get to the end of 6 books and wish it had all been condensed into 3. Plus here were also SO MANY holes; so many other options to decisions made to seem optionless. It's a bit aggravating. A lot of "why can't you do this instead?" thrown out there from me to the book...
But, I'm INVESTED...in the characters, in the story, in the series. I'm captivated enough to NEED to know how this all plays out. And that's a good thing...so on to book 3.
This is a great sequel to a great first book! I was heart-broken after finshing Enlightenedand I could not wait for the sequel. The sequel Abandonedfollows Brian through his final year in high school without Jamie. His secret is now out thanks to Emma, the girl Jamie dated in the first book (he dated her to keep rumors from circulating about himself and Brian out of fear). Brian has unfortunately been given a very dangerous enemy in the form of Emma's brother. After several run-ins with the brother, one of which resulted in some minor injuries, Brian is on his guard just trying to get through the year so he can leave for California to find Jamie (who was taken away by his parents after they found out about Brian's and Jamie's romance). Mosley (the brother) has other plans for Brian which involve a lot of pain and fear. I don't want to give away too much of the plot but suffice it to say, I was appalled! I have been so touched by these stories. I cannot imagine the fear and guilt that these children go through just to live their lives like everyone else. It is amazing to me the so-called Christian people who have no problem spewing hate and vitriol at others instead of spreading the love and forgiveness and tolerance that Jesus taught. Way to screw up a religion (fucking Jonesboro Baptist Church comes to mind)! J.P. you have created a masterpiece in understanding and tolerance. Hopefully, people will realize that what all of us want out of life is to be loved and understood unconditionally.
This second book in the Little Boy Lost series is a dark story, with a lot of pain for the narrator Brian. A bit black and white, (and black, and black, and black) in the events it describes, it nonetheless is a fast and highly engrossing story that I had a hard time putting down. The end of this one is a little less of a cliff-hanger than book one. One could plausibly stop here for a bit and take a breath. But you won't want to.
I’ve never been so much in the grip of a M/M series with young adult protags as I’ve been with the Little Boys Lost series. I’m completely enamored with the depth of storytelling J.P Barnaby possesses and the way she incorporates issues and adversity for Brian to deal with. ABADONED is very angst and tension filled due to the situation Brian finds himself in. School has become a nightmare, fear is Brian’s shadow and the constant mockery and bullying takes its toll. Even though certain situations give a darker tone to this story it fuels the inner conflict and showcases the resilience Brian has.
Brian’s character growth really held me captivated throughout the story. At first the intense emotions protruding from Brian rubbed me raw, he is utterly devastated after the final events in book one; ENLIGHTENED, and now has to deal with the aftermath. He knows fear, he has to struggle through all of his emotions and the single minded love he feels for Jamie burns fierce. There is a mix of angst and strength to Brian’s character that drew me to him like a moth to a flame. Even though a lot of bad stuff happens to Brian the author never gets into the over dramatic. She balances it with friendship, family and their support which allows a level of realism in the story that packs a very unique emotional punch.
Throughout the chapters I could feel Brian grow in to a stronger, more centered man, and that raw edge of the first half of the story turns in to doubts whether his initial plan is worth it to give up on a new friend; Adam, and his foster parents; Carolyn and Richard Schreiber. With the first person narrative and my strong connection to Brian I was completely emerged in his mind and life. I seriously wondered at one point what he would do! It only signaled the genuine emotions and confusion coming from Brian and the way he affected me. To be honest, I don’t know if I would’ve accepted any other outcome of this story yet simultaneously it delivers a signal that J.P Barnaby has so much more in store for Brian. What that will be, I don't know, but I'm very eager to join Brian in his journey!
J.P Barnaby is one of those rare authors on my e-shelves who can pull it off to make me feel completely satisfied in a category length book. While the romance and eroticism is taking a backseat I didn’t mind it at all. I was absorbed by the internal warring and the external threats which provided fuel for such intrinsic character development it captivated me from the first word. The story spans a year and in that time so much is going on yet the author keeps it very centered on only a handful of key characters. There were dialogues that spoke of support, of courage, of love and of conquering your fears, and it strengthened the bond between them all. Without stating the obvious it held a subtle but powerful message
What this author does in ABANDONED is just amazing, it is a pure and honest kind of writing that bares the soul of a seventeen, going on eighteen year old. It offers the worst of circumstances in which various forms of love can ignite, nourish and inspire Brian on his journey. I never expected to experience such a strong connection to the person Brian is. I’m still amazed by it and savoring it every chance I get.
ABADONED blew me away as J.P. Barnaby continues the story of memorable characters who just go for your heart. This is just about as good as it gets in the M/M genre!
This book chewed me up and spit me back out! So many traumatic events that happen to Brian made this difficult at times and I'm still trying to come to terms with how I feel about the ending in this book...my heart goes out to Adam. Definatley need to take some time before reading the next book.
The is the second book in the Little Boy Lost Series, which is the story of Brian McAllister, “the boy next door.” I reviewed the first book, Enlightened, twice: first as a self-published book and then in its new incarnation with Dreamspinner. I enjoyed Enlightened a great deal and I like Abandoned, too, but I have to be honest—it’s not an easy read with a very uncertain ending and future for Brian.
The story opens about three weeks after Enlightened ends. The school year has started. Jamie is gone, having been ripped out of Brian’s life when his parents up and moved to California after discovering the two of them sleeping together. Their love, and the fact that Brian is gay, is now common knowledge in the school. Brian is prepared for a year of taunting and bullying; unfortunately, within a very short time he gets it worse than he ever expected.
Brian is attacked—twice. The second time is so violent that he ends up in a coma with several broken bones, including his leg and jaw. He has a long recuperation, during which time he is able to develop a close, trusting relationship with Kyle Barnes, the art teacher. His foster parents, the Schreibers, also step up to take on the role of true loving parents. Once he’s back on his feet, Brian starts taking self-defense classes and develops two more strong friendships: with his Sensei and another student, Adam.
In other words, after a life of hardship and misery, some of the pieces finally start falling into place for Brian and he begins to believe that it is possible to be happy.
Meanwhile, what about Jamie? He seems to have evaporated off the earth. Brian tries to track him down through Google and his foster father, Richard, gives him a hand but they don’t have any success. The nagging question is, why doesn’t Jamie get in touch? He knows Brian’s address and phone number. Even if his parents have him under lock and key, couldn’t he manage to snag an envelope and a stamp? Or find a pay phone and make a collect call? These thoughts sneak into Brian’s mind but he tries not to dwell on them, preferring to believe in their love and their bond as soulmates. I have my suspicions as to what is going on with Jamie, but nothing is revealed in this story.
The story presented itself in two fairly distinct parts. The first 40% covered the beginning of the school year, the attacks, and Brian’s convalescence. It was very angsty and there was one episode that was very, very hard to read. The second part, once he’s out of his cast and back to school gets better—and things do get better for Brian. He’s a good kid and it’s nice to see good things happening to him. Of course there’s always the over-arching, “Where’s Jamie?” issue but by and large, Brian is able to eke out a few happy moments in his life.
But then we come to the gut-wrenching, heart-ripping-out ending. If you’ve read the first book, you know the author likes to leave things with a cliff-hanger. Get ready for cliff-hanger #2 and let me tell you, this one makes the first book look like a walk through the park! I finished the book being worried and upset for everybody: the Schreibers, Adam, Brian, Kyle, Sensei…even Jamie, who’s still off page even at the end.
This is book two of a planned six book series and I have a feeling that we readers will have to go through a whole lot more angst before we get to a happy ending—if we do—or learning what form that happy ending will take. The author has set it up so that the story could go in any number of directions so it will be interesting to see how this narrative evolves and matures.
As an aside, the first book had quite a bit of explicit sex but this book has much less because Jamie’s not there and Brian is faithful to him. There are a few scenes of Brian fantasizing about Jamie and masturbating plus a chaste kiss with Adam, but that’s about it. It’s a definite change from Enlightened.
Could this be read as a standalone? I suppose so—backstory is offered so the reader knows what is going on—but why? The whole focus of the first book was the developing relationship between Brian and Jamie and that was beautifully written. Why cheat yourself of that experience only to read about their heartbreaking aftermath in Abandoned?
Overall, recommended. I’m committed to this series and looking forward to the third book, Vanished, which is due out in the summer. The synopsis for that is at the end of Abandoned and sounds intriguing, but I will be honest—I’ll be wearing my angst-armor and have a box of tissues at my side. I offer the same advice for reading Abandoned. You’ve been warned!
'Abandoned' is a truly amazing sequel for 'Enlightened'. With Jamie gone, we get to see all the pain and suffering Brian goes through before making the decision whether to leave home and search for Jamie once he turns eighteen. The descriptions of his feelings as he suffered through several trials before the end of the book kept me on the edge of my seat. JP’s ability to capture the emotional state of a teenager and make it crystal clear every step of the way is truly amazing.
Barnaby did a wonderful job of taking the reader along with Brian's emotional journey. At the beginning of the book, like Brian, I was all for him going after Jamie but as the story evolved I became to doubt that was the best thing for Brian to do. Actually towards the end of the book I was certain that he shouldn't go after Jamie and just move on with his life. I loved the emotional journey, even though it was quite painful at times. I wanted to know what was going on with Jamie but I understand that this is Brian's journey. Over all this is a wonderful additon to a great series but it is not a complete story in its own right and can't be read on its own.
Again, another great story. Heart wrenching and felt so real, even when you wished it didn't. Makes me angry that bashing still goes on, that ignorance and fear dictate people through violence. God loves us all, we are all perfect in his eyes. Our actions toward others is was makes us good people or bad people. Love is good, how can that be bad? I just want to hug anyone whose been hated for who they love and remind them its the love they have/give that makes them each so precious and worthwhile. And dont get me started on foster parents. just loved this book.
Gripping continuation on this series. This series has lots of great characters, major drama and emotional tension, all the things I love, love, love in a book. Book 2 has another major cliffhanger ending. I can hardly wait to read the next one but I can't find any dates when it's going to be out - I have to know what happened to Jaime argg!!!
I felt physically ill reading this. Not because it's poorly written, but for the exact opposite reason. All through the book, I wanted nothing more than to hold Brian, to protect him, and to rail at everything and everyone that he'd got against him.
What kills me more is knowing that while this is fiction, it could so very easily have been someone's true life story.
Very compelling series, though I'm a bit dismayed that there will be several books to go before it's resolved. I don't know how much more angst I can take; I want Brian to have a HEA now!
I love this series, especially book one. This second book was really difficult for me because of the forced separation. I'm looking forward to reading book 3 though.
It has been entirely too long since I read the last page of Enlightened, the first book in this series. I am a challenge addict and I never really had the perfect chance to use "Abandoned", book 2 in the series, until now. I finished the first book in June of 2015, almost two years ago. It stayed with me for a long time after that and remained in the back of my mind until I finally started this book. "Enlightened" is easily one of my top 10 favorite M/M reads of all time. That's really saying something, considering I've read 828 M/M books to date. The book was very special.
Book 2 was no less special, but it was heartbreaking and much darker than book 1. It stirred so many emotions and most of them were not fun. However, I feel strongly that this story was not only a necessary transition into book three, but that it is an important book for any fan of M/M Romance or LBGT Literature.
I recommend this book with every fiber of my being but you MUST Read Book 1 first. Also, don't let the Y.A. tags fool you. The series is rife with adult content, both sexual and more sobering material that is anything but sexy.
*By the way, this entire 6 book series is available through Amazon and Dreamspinner Press for $9.99. Considering the books sell individually for $6.99, the collection is a steal. The first two books alone are worth the price of the collection, so I encourage anyone interested in the series to buy the collection in it's entirety.
This was a fantastic continuation of the story. I have to say, I wanted to scream when I saw that the six-book series wouldn't be complete until the first quarter of 2012. I almost wish I hadn't discovered the series until then so I could read it all at once!
JP Barnaby does an amazing job combining the plot with the story. Often in the category of erotic romance (or just romance in general), if the sex isn't satisfying and the story isn't strong enough, I quickly lose interest. That is not the case here. Additionally, I shy away from the first person POV because so many authors are unable to convey the emotions of other characters without being in their heads. Again, this is not the case here. Though we are solely in Brian's head, we can feel the other characters as well.
Without giving anything away, I hope that we can see more about the supporting characters from the Epilogue in the future installments and I can't wait to see where Brian's decisions take him.
As with Book 1, book 2 was well written and very believable. I felt most of the characters were portrayed perfectly and the love that Brian felt for the missing Jaimie was true as were his mixed feelings for Adam. In this time in Alabama, where the first 2 books of series take place, gay bashing is stil a very distinct possibility, especially in high schools. While most don't end up to the extremes protrayed here, some do, and some are far worse. The author handles the situation with respect for the charachters and for those kids who may have had experiences or have friends who have had experience like those in the book. There was onely one minor sexual scene and it was more of a flashback type deal of an event from the first book. I like that she didn't have Brian fall quickly into Adam's arms then bog down in guilt for cheating or some other mellowdrama that a less skilled author would have used. I am now reading Book 3.
It’s really pretty freaking hard to read with a waterfall of tears springing from your eyes – much less multiple times! I’m now convinced that this series is going to be my undoing. There was the sweetness of the first book which its gut-wrenching cliffhanger of an ending. And now? I just feel raw and overwhelmed from the emotional roller coaster of this book. For better or worse (please help me if that’s the case), I’m committed to finding out what happens. I’m pretty sure I’ll be singing the praises of this series when all is said and done, but right now, I just want to curl up in a fetal position to prevent further pain. Gah, I’ll shake it off and soldier on for the next installment of Brian’s journey…
P.S. Strong reaction = brilliant writing! Come and see what it’s all about. :)
This is the sequel to Enlightened and continues the story of Brian, who has lost Jamie and now facing his small town knowing he is gay.
Unfortunately there are those who decide to 'punish' Brian with tragic consequences. The story follows Brian as he deals with physical recovery, fights to keep his foster parents and continues to deal with his sorrow at not knowing what has happened to Jamie.
There are some small bright lights in Brian's otherwise bleak life,
Once again, lots of heartbreak and there is no happy ending but the series continues.......
Abandoned is the second book in the Little Boy Lost series and continues the story of Brian. With Jamie now gone, Brian is left behind to deal with the fallout and his broken heart. The best part of this book is getting to see Brian grow and mature and learn to deal with the backlash from people in his town because he is gay. And also seeing him begin to realize there are people who love him and support him. But through it all he always thinks of Jamie, he lives his life for the day he can leave and go search for Jamie. As with the first book there is a bit of a surprise at the end, setting up for the next book and the continuation of Brian's journey to find Jamie.
My friend Archie had recommended I read this series some time ago. I'd been derailed from doing so by the many other good books published recently in the genre. What can I say? I'm easily distracted.
Still, seeing that the last book came out recently and that the first was available for free, I decided to take the plunge. It has been quite an experience so far.
The first book was extremely good, the second just as much. Few writers can put emotions of this caliber into words without it becoming a farce. J.P. Barnaby is a master at it, up there with other greats in the genre, like Amy Lane.
Another brilliant and sensitively handled story about Brian and Jamie. This story - the second in the series - focuses on Brian, who has been left behind to face the music after his relationship with Jamie was discovered. From the beginning, Brian is attacked for his sexuality, culminating in serious injuries and shocks that take his life in a direction he didn't expect. It's brilliantly written, with the hammer blows to Brian coming one after the other but in a realistic rather than 'playing for drama'way. And the ending made my heart race. Thank goodness I purchased the entire series after I finished the first book and I don't have to wait to find out what happens next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
The title of the book says it all - but after finishing the second book in this series, I wonder if the title is as much about Jamie as it is Brian.
Brian's struggles after Jamie moves away is heartbreaking, but he grows stronger in the love of his new adoptive parents and a new friend. But what has become of Jamie in California?
This is a really great series, looking forward to the third book this month.
These books are absolutely addictive. When I picked up the first one up like 5 days ago, I had not idea that this was a SIX book series and that each book was a least 350+ pages long. Regardless, I read them all because the story was so good and I totally fell in love with Brian first three, and then Jamie in the third three. Their story was absolutely amazing and in the end of the last book, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop after they go back but they ended up happy which made me happy too. I have literally read non-stop for the last 5 days in every free moment I have had and even gone back and reread some of the first two books just to connect the stories. I loved the switch in points-of-view in the book too--in the first three I was really dying to get in Jamie's head and when I started the third on I did. Love them all and will probably read them again. But I have to take a rest. I am so happy that I finished the whole series though. They are happy and so am I:).
I'm sorry to say that the characters didn't seem alive to me. It felt like actors were reading their lines instead of acting them. I don't think the incident with child services added anything meaningful to the plot.
I won't be reading further installments of this series, at least until it's finished and I know it ends well and there aren't things I don't like.
Brian is alone. He and Jamie have been outed; Jamie's girlfriend's brother is all-to-ready to wreak revenge, and Jamie's parents have moved with him, and have institutionalized him in some ex-gay program. Can he find friends and a family when everything seems so against him? Another engaging read that is simultaneously also heartbreaking.
I thought I couldn't get any more emotionally invested in a series, but this book proved me wrong. J.P. Barnaby takes us on an emotional roller coaster ride as Brian continues on his journey towards adulthood while searching for his one true love. Be prepared to sit here with an entire box of tissues!