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Between the Lines by Emmanuel Thomas
In a back alley in Boston, Thomas Haskell’s bookstore is under threat of closing its doors for good. In a last ditch effort to save it, he starts a book group, inviting people to join him in appreciation of the finest in LGBT literature. What started out as a way to save his ailing sales, turns out to be the thing that saves him from a troubled past, and with the doors to his store flung open, so are the doors to his heart.
- GenresM M Romance
Paperback
First published August 19, 2015
16 people want to read
About the author
B.J. Sheppard
13 books41 followersI'm new to this game, so bear with me while I struggle my way blindly through, with only the help of half a road map and a crystal ball that's more paper-weight than portent. This series of short stories is a nice respite from the Shakespearean melodramas I usually produce, and I hope they give you half the laughs they gave me when I wrote them. More of the series will be available soon, so drop by and check them out when they find their way our of my brain and onto a page.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
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August 31, 2015DNF at 30%
**Don't see this review as a NON-RECOMMENDATION. It is just a classical example of "it's me, not a book."
It saddens me to DNF it. Because I put this author on my "don't forget to check later"- list. I enjoyed his That Day in Spring, and I was looking forward to reading more of him.
I don't know what really happened to his writing style. After numerous difficulties I had with it during the first 10%, I decided to pick up That Day in Spring, my first book by the author to compare the writing. A quick check - nope, it wasn't that theatrical and pretentious.
Is it really the best way to write about people who appreciate the finest in literature?
After struggling through almost a third of the book, I gave up. I can't even tell you anything about the plot, because it has been hidden from me under the long and difficult constructed sentences, many metaphors, one after anther, exceptional adjectives, heavy word building and complicated way of telling.
I have never made a secret out of the fact, that English is my third language, but at that I always add, that my reading English is much better than my writing English.
But maybe one has to be a native English speaker to appreciate this wrting.
What I can say for sure- the author has a rich vocabulary.
August 27, 2015
This book has been a labor of love for BJ. He first sent me the manuscript to read over two years ago. Since then it has undergone quite a few re-writes and edits, but it was well worth the wait to get the finished product in my Kindle. To be published by a publisher as well-respected as Wilde City was a dream come true for BJ.
Between the Lines is a story about a group of mismatched people who come together and bond over their love of books. Sound familiar? They find friendship, support, fun, heartbreak, family and love. They save each other. It is a beautiful story about the power of interpersonal relationships, whatever their nature.
BJ brings his dry, unique sense of humor and heart-breaking realism to the pages of Between the Lines. I am truly honored to have played a small role in ushering this book into your hands. I love all BJ's work but this one in particular because it means so much to him.
Between the Lines is a story about a group of mismatched people who come together and bond over their love of books. Sound familiar? They find friendship, support, fun, heartbreak, family and love. They save each other. It is a beautiful story about the power of interpersonal relationships, whatever their nature.
BJ brings his dry, unique sense of humor and heart-breaking realism to the pages of Between the Lines. I am truly honored to have played a small role in ushering this book into your hands. I love all BJ's work but this one in particular because it means so much to him.
December 7, 2015
I'm so, SO sorry Barney my lovely. This disappeared from my Kindle carousel, and as they say when it's gone, it's gone...a WIGIG!! 5 emotionally charged stars from me.
An absolutely delightful, gentle and touching love story with the book shop 'Between the Lines' featuring front and centre, a character in its own right, a place where lonely people, usually complete strangers, could not only gather and discuss books, but become friends and more. Thomas, the owner of the bookshop is having trouble making ends meet, and decides to start a book club to drum up some business....
And yes Barney, you were right...I did get upset and yes, there were tears at various times during the reading. There's some beautiful prose in this story, and I IMPLORE you not to give up writing. <3
December 2, 2015
"A book club. It would make an acceptable social setting to stave away his loneliness while trying to drive cash income into the corpse of his ailing business so troublingly dismal, he had considered more than once selling an organ or two to keep the lights shining and the fans whirring."
It didn't take very long at all to be completely caught up in the incredible characters the author created for 'Between the Lines'. Thomas owns the small bookstore and Fiona is the first to arrive at book club, herself also a business owner, which creates a beginning bond between the two. Then there's Cameron, a nineteen-year-old, living at home and not sure about coming out to his parents, and Junior, who has a low-level job at the only Christian publishing house in the city, and in fact, was recently outed by his boss within the company walls. Oh so uncomfortable. Then there's Elton, an author in his own right, who suffers from such debilitating social anxiety that his only friend, his whole life, has been his sister, Siobhan. And, finally, there's Muse, a young transgendered girl who Junior saves from a beating right outside the store.
This has to be one of the most fascinating character studies I have ever read. In part, I think the fact that the author has written it in several different points of view made my reading experience far more enjoyable. Intermixed with all of these fascinating characters, and the depths to which the author slowly reveals each of them, comes the sweetest, gentlest love story imaginable. Thomas and Elton. Two lost souls who find out what happens when you risk it all for the one you love.
"I’ve been thinking about you a lot, and every time I think of you I smile. You make me smile Elton, so I wanted to make you smile too, if only just for a while, so I can see it, and know it was because of something I had done.”
However, this isn't an easy character study to read. It's real, it's gritty, and at times, it'll break your heart. Elton is an alcoholic. Thomas dealt with a raging substance abuser in his younger days, and when he finds out, it's not a pretty confrontation. Junior is suffering, in silence, and those walls are closing in. There's drama and heartache as Elton tries to deal with his problems, Thomas is trying desperately to hold onto his business, and Junior is coming to terms with his own issues.
An excellent read that I adored from page one. Thank you, BJ, you did it, honey!
NOTE: This book was provided by Wilde City Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews
It didn't take very long at all to be completely caught up in the incredible characters the author created for 'Between the Lines'. Thomas owns the small bookstore and Fiona is the first to arrive at book club, herself also a business owner, which creates a beginning bond between the two. Then there's Cameron, a nineteen-year-old, living at home and not sure about coming out to his parents, and Junior, who has a low-level job at the only Christian publishing house in the city, and in fact, was recently outed by his boss within the company walls. Oh so uncomfortable. Then there's Elton, an author in his own right, who suffers from such debilitating social anxiety that his only friend, his whole life, has been his sister, Siobhan. And, finally, there's Muse, a young transgendered girl who Junior saves from a beating right outside the store.
This has to be one of the most fascinating character studies I have ever read. In part, I think the fact that the author has written it in several different points of view made my reading experience far more enjoyable. Intermixed with all of these fascinating characters, and the depths to which the author slowly reveals each of them, comes the sweetest, gentlest love story imaginable. Thomas and Elton. Two lost souls who find out what happens when you risk it all for the one you love.
"I’ve been thinking about you a lot, and every time I think of you I smile. You make me smile Elton, so I wanted to make you smile too, if only just for a while, so I can see it, and know it was because of something I had done.”
However, this isn't an easy character study to read. It's real, it's gritty, and at times, it'll break your heart. Elton is an alcoholic. Thomas dealt with a raging substance abuser in his younger days, and when he finds out, it's not a pretty confrontation. Junior is suffering, in silence, and those walls are closing in. There's drama and heartache as Elton tries to deal with his problems, Thomas is trying desperately to hold onto his business, and Junior is coming to terms with his own issues.
An excellent read that I adored from page one. Thank you, BJ, you did it, honey!
NOTE: This book was provided by Wilde City Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews
July 8, 2017
Welcome to Between The Lines by BJ Sheppard where each person who walks into his carefully crafted world has a story to tell and a dream waiting to either be fulfilled or crushed. You would do well to remember that sometimes we must lose nearly everything to find that which makes our heart beat sure and steady.
Thomas Haskell has survived an orphaned past with no family connections only to narrowly escape the arms of an abusive ex-lover. Now living in Boston, he is the owner and proprietor of a failing bookstore, Between the Lines. Still recovering from betrayal and loss, Thomas lives a half-life existence and his sole aim is to make his business somehow remain solvent. To that end, his only friend, Nate, has created flyers which they have spread all over town inviting anyone to attend a new book group that will hopefully be the start to revitalize Thomas’ ailing business. The flyer cleverly announces “There’s a home for you, Between the Lines.” Little does either of them realize just how accurate that sentiment would prove to be.
Elton O’Connell is many things but outgoing and gregarious he is not. In fact, a stutterer from a young age, Elton grew more and more aloof from society and were it not for his writing wildly successful novels along with his caring and strong-willed sister, Siobhan, he would probably have no interaction with the world at all. Elton is also a functioning alcoholic who displays quite a mean streak when drunk in public—somewhere he rarely found himself until his sister dragged him to the lonely little bookstore that was advertising a newly forming reading group. Elton is also terribly lonely and so far inside his own head that the idea of a relationship frightened him.
Rafael Claiborn Junior (or Junior as he is referred too) has a plan. Signing on with an oppressively conservative publishing house right after graduating from Harvard was going to get him where he wanted to be—at the top of the book world. He had a plan, and, darn it if that meant hiding his sexuality so be it. Unfortunately secrets have a way of surfacing and Junior’s already skyrocketing anxiety becomes unbearable. He cannot let anyone know that the glorious plan he had may end up in the gutter, shattered, along with whatever is left of his sanity.
These and several other characters come together for book group. Little does any of them know they will come perilously close to losing one of their own; that hearts would be torn apart and relationships left in shreds before the group can even shed its growing pains. Between the lines, some will nearly be lost, others saved and more than one, redeemed.
This novel was simply stunning. The breadth of subject matter from abusive relationships to addiction and suicidal thoughts were all wrapped in first loves, missed chances and forgiveness—such amazing forgiveness. One was so quickly pulled in to the ebb and flow of this group’s daily life. I found myself staying awake long into the night in order to finish one more chapter and then the next for I, myself, was addicted to the gorgeous descriptive passages that shed light on the private lives of each man and woman in this story. The dialogue was sharp and witty at times and heartbreakingly emotional others. This was a novel where I found myself talking out loud to the characters, bemoaning their decisions and trying to warn them to stop before it all fell apart and, trust me, this author rips your heart into shreds before he carefully puts it back together.
With a fast-moving plot, multiple life stories that were never too hard to follow and three points of view chasing one another, Between The Lines kept me entranced—fixated by it’s haunting realism and the incredibly gorgeous characters that lived within the pages of this book. I cannot say enough about this novel.
Thomas Haskell has survived an orphaned past with no family connections only to narrowly escape the arms of an abusive ex-lover. Now living in Boston, he is the owner and proprietor of a failing bookstore, Between the Lines. Still recovering from betrayal and loss, Thomas lives a half-life existence and his sole aim is to make his business somehow remain solvent. To that end, his only friend, Nate, has created flyers which they have spread all over town inviting anyone to attend a new book group that will hopefully be the start to revitalize Thomas’ ailing business. The flyer cleverly announces “There’s a home for you, Between the Lines.” Little does either of them realize just how accurate that sentiment would prove to be.
Elton O’Connell is many things but outgoing and gregarious he is not. In fact, a stutterer from a young age, Elton grew more and more aloof from society and were it not for his writing wildly successful novels along with his caring and strong-willed sister, Siobhan, he would probably have no interaction with the world at all. Elton is also a functioning alcoholic who displays quite a mean streak when drunk in public—somewhere he rarely found himself until his sister dragged him to the lonely little bookstore that was advertising a newly forming reading group. Elton is also terribly lonely and so far inside his own head that the idea of a relationship frightened him.
Rafael Claiborn Junior (or Junior as he is referred too) has a plan. Signing on with an oppressively conservative publishing house right after graduating from Harvard was going to get him where he wanted to be—at the top of the book world. He had a plan, and, darn it if that meant hiding his sexuality so be it. Unfortunately secrets have a way of surfacing and Junior’s already skyrocketing anxiety becomes unbearable. He cannot let anyone know that the glorious plan he had may end up in the gutter, shattered, along with whatever is left of his sanity.
These and several other characters come together for book group. Little does any of them know they will come perilously close to losing one of their own; that hearts would be torn apart and relationships left in shreds before the group can even shed its growing pains. Between the lines, some will nearly be lost, others saved and more than one, redeemed.
This novel was simply stunning. The breadth of subject matter from abusive relationships to addiction and suicidal thoughts were all wrapped in first loves, missed chances and forgiveness—such amazing forgiveness. One was so quickly pulled in to the ebb and flow of this group’s daily life. I found myself staying awake long into the night in order to finish one more chapter and then the next for I, myself, was addicted to the gorgeous descriptive passages that shed light on the private lives of each man and woman in this story. The dialogue was sharp and witty at times and heartbreakingly emotional others. This was a novel where I found myself talking out loud to the characters, bemoaning their decisions and trying to warn them to stop before it all fell apart and, trust me, this author rips your heart into shreds before he carefully puts it back together.
With a fast-moving plot, multiple life stories that were never too hard to follow and three points of view chasing one another, Between The Lines kept me entranced—fixated by it’s haunting realism and the incredibly gorgeous characters that lived within the pages of this book. I cannot say enough about this novel.
October 1, 2015
Review written for Love Bytes Book Reviews.
Let me start off by saying that my opinion of this book shifted along with my fluctuating emotions but that, by the end, both were in perfect alignment. I started off this book full of feelings after having read nothing more than the dedication, which was completely Aww worthy, and found myself embracing the story as told by the three main characters, Thomas, Elton, and Junior. Thomas is the owner of a bookstore that is, unfortunately, on the back end of successful and rapidly speeding down the decline towards a total disaster. In what may very well be his last ditch effort as staving off total bankruptcy, Thomas and his friend Nate come up with the idea to start a book club in the hopes that it will draw attention to the out of the way shop. This one action proves to be the start of not only the rebirth of Thomas’s shop, but of the road towards personal discovery and growth for each of the main characters.
The view point of the story shifts as it changes between each of the characters while keeping the cohesiveness of the overall plot and yet it also remained easy to follow. In the beginning, I really connected with Thomas and what he was going through while I just thought Elton was adorable; I wasn’t really sure where Junior fit into the grand scheme of things but I still enjoyed his character. Things seemed to be plodding along at a set pace, and things were looking up…until they weren’t. Did you ever play with building blocks as a kid? This was like trying to build the tallest tower possible; things are going great and you’re feeling really good about everything and then you either placed one block too many or the tower was jiggled just a little too hard and before you can do anything to stop it, the tower has come crashing down until its just a pile of rubble at your feet. It was just that quickly that things that were going right for the main characters took an unexpected turn for the worst. It was at this point, however, that I finally understood what this book was really about.
Despite my love/hate relationship with the progression of the story, by the end I was firmly on the side of love as I’d watched all three characters tackle some of the hardest parts of their lives and come out the other side stronger for having gone through it. This isn’t a book for everyone; there’s no great mystery, no major action scenes, and while there are some instances of sex shown it isn’t the focus or even a major part of the book. What this does have, is real people tackling real problems and a part of me felt changed right along with the main characters by the end of it. My one hope is that there will be a follow up at some point so that I can continue the journey, especially since things with Junior were left better but not fully complete. Even if this isn’t something you would normally pick up, I recommend giving it a chance.
Let me start off by saying that my opinion of this book shifted along with my fluctuating emotions but that, by the end, both were in perfect alignment. I started off this book full of feelings after having read nothing more than the dedication, which was completely Aww worthy, and found myself embracing the story as told by the three main characters, Thomas, Elton, and Junior. Thomas is the owner of a bookstore that is, unfortunately, on the back end of successful and rapidly speeding down the decline towards a total disaster. In what may very well be his last ditch effort as staving off total bankruptcy, Thomas and his friend Nate come up with the idea to start a book club in the hopes that it will draw attention to the out of the way shop. This one action proves to be the start of not only the rebirth of Thomas’s shop, but of the road towards personal discovery and growth for each of the main characters.
The view point of the story shifts as it changes between each of the characters while keeping the cohesiveness of the overall plot and yet it also remained easy to follow. In the beginning, I really connected with Thomas and what he was going through while I just thought Elton was adorable; I wasn’t really sure where Junior fit into the grand scheme of things but I still enjoyed his character. Things seemed to be plodding along at a set pace, and things were looking up…until they weren’t. Did you ever play with building blocks as a kid? This was like trying to build the tallest tower possible; things are going great and you’re feeling really good about everything and then you either placed one block too many or the tower was jiggled just a little too hard and before you can do anything to stop it, the tower has come crashing down until its just a pile of rubble at your feet. It was just that quickly that things that were going right for the main characters took an unexpected turn for the worst. It was at this point, however, that I finally understood what this book was really about.
Despite my love/hate relationship with the progression of the story, by the end I was firmly on the side of love as I’d watched all three characters tackle some of the hardest parts of their lives and come out the other side stronger for having gone through it. This isn’t a book for everyone; there’s no great mystery, no major action scenes, and while there are some instances of sex shown it isn’t the focus or even a major part of the book. What this does have, is real people tackling real problems and a part of me felt changed right along with the main characters by the end of it. My one hope is that there will be a follow up at some point so that I can continue the journey, especially since things with Junior were left better but not fully complete. Even if this isn’t something you would normally pick up, I recommend giving it a chance.
September 2, 2015
I have to admit I had too struggle past the first few pages of flowery prose but I am very glad I did.
The over use of adjectives stopped very quickly or at least I stopped noticing it as the story got going and I got more involved in the characters. I will definitely explore more of this authors work.
The over use of adjectives stopped very quickly or at least I stopped noticing it as the story got going and I got more involved in the characters. I will definitely explore more of this authors work.
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November 26, 2015Now available in paperback from Amazon :)
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September 4, 2015The writing style was just not one I personally clicked with.
September 12, 2015
This was just not for me.
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