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Senses #1
Love Comes Silently
A Senses Series Story
Caring for a loved one with cancer is tough. Doing it alone is overwhelming—especially when that loved one is a child. But ever since Ken Brighton’s partner left him, Ken has spent his days at the hospital with his daughter, Hanna, hoping for a miracle. Maybe the mysterious care packages that appear for Hanna don’t qualify, but they bring a spark of hope into his and Hanna’s tired life—and so does Ken’s neighbor, former singer Patrick Flaherty.
For two years Patrick hasn’t been able to focus on anything but the life he should have had. An injury robbed him of his voice, and the idea of introducing himself to new people intimidates him. But over the past months, he’s watched as his neighbor nursed his sick child, and once he meets Ken, Patrick starts to crave a life with him—a life he isn't sure he can have.
Ken doesn’t realize he’s fallen in love until the doctors send Hanna home, saying there’s nothing more they can Hanna will either recover or succumb. Ken’s heart is set on a new beginning—with both Patrick and Hanna. But Patrick's silence leaves Ken wondering what Patrick wants.
Caring for a loved one with cancer is tough. Doing it alone is overwhelming—especially when that loved one is a child. But ever since Ken Brighton’s partner left him, Ken has spent his days at the hospital with his daughter, Hanna, hoping for a miracle. Maybe the mysterious care packages that appear for Hanna don’t qualify, but they bring a spark of hope into his and Hanna’s tired life—and so does Ken’s neighbor, former singer Patrick Flaherty.
For two years Patrick hasn’t been able to focus on anything but the life he should have had. An injury robbed him of his voice, and the idea of introducing himself to new people intimidates him. But over the past months, he’s watched as his neighbor nursed his sick child, and once he meets Ken, Patrick starts to crave a life with him—a life he isn't sure he can have.
Ken doesn’t realize he’s fallen in love until the doctors send Hanna home, saying there’s nothing more they can Hanna will either recover or succumb. Ken’s heart is set on a new beginning—with both Patrick and Hanna. But Patrick's silence leaves Ken wondering what Patrick wants.
200 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2012
52 people are currently reading
1547 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 282 reviews
September 1, 2016
**2.5 stars**
Audiobooks are extremely subjective. When you read a book yourself, you have your own idea of how the character sounds, but when you have an audiobook, the will of the narrator is forced upon you. This can be hit or miss, and I have really visceral reactions to some narrators. A few narrators have made books that might have been mediocre into absolutely fabulous reads. I have also had the opposite experience. This is one of those.
I kept trying to place the age of the narrator of this book as he was reading. I even attempted to look him up online mid-book to see what I could find out about him. I finally guessed his age to be around 65, though I never got confirmation. The narrator has that ever so slightly wobble to his voice and kind of a formal accent that gives his voice an elderly feel. That is not a good nuance for this book. The narrator read this book more like a children's book than an adult M/M romance and I actually cringed at the sex scenes. It felt like watching my grandparents have sex. It really took away from the story for me.
Now, the story itself was cute, if a bit melodramatic. I thought that the romance was sweet and I love a character with a disability. I had some issues with the pacing of the story (it felt very slow, but that might be an issue with the narrator again) and the lack of a story arc. I also had some slight issues with the character of the child, but I am pickier than most on that because I have a daughter about the same age and I know exactly how a kid that age acts. In addition, the way Mark was kind of forgotten about towards the end of the book bothered me (what happened with him??).
Though this book is a big hit with all of my friends, I just wasn't feeling it. I think it had potential, but whether it was the narrator or the content, it just missed the mark.
**Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
October 3, 2012
With this story, Mr. Grey shows us that we can have a touching, beautiful story without resorting to unnecessary angst created by damaged characters or seeing a boyfriend giving a blow job to a sworn enemy. Neither do we have to have fluffy story with i-love-u being said on every other pages.
There's no bad guy in this novel. No evil, homophobic father or clergyman. Yes, the main characters are not necessarily ordinary persons, being a rich painter and a former singing star, but the story itself is so down to earth. Simple, but powerful.
Ken adopted Hanna several years ago. Around that time, he met Mark. They started to date and eventually lived together. When Hanna was sick and brought to the doctor, he didn't expect the doctor to tell him that his daughter had cancer. He took care of her for a couple of months in the hospital. During that time, his relationship with Mark started to deteriorate. They drifted apart and broke up amicably.
Patrick, their neighbor, started to stop by. From the beginning, Ken liked him, as did Hanna. The fact that the neighbor was mute from accident didn't bother him. He thought he could understand and communicate nicely with Patrick. But did he actually listen to what Patrick had been saying...?
I'm happy to see the friendship developed between Ken and Patrick. Even though they're attracted to each other since the beginning, they knew their place and priorities.
There are several things that I could live without They didn't really affect my enjoyment though.
The story is about diversity. There are many ways to do things. Including ways to say I love you...
There's no bad guy in this novel. No evil, homophobic father or clergyman. Yes, the main characters are not necessarily ordinary persons, being a rich painter and a former singing star, but the story itself is so down to earth. Simple, but powerful.
Ken adopted Hanna several years ago. Around that time, he met Mark. They started to date and eventually lived together. When Hanna was sick and brought to the doctor, he didn't expect the doctor to tell him that his daughter had cancer. He took care of her for a couple of months in the hospital. During that time, his relationship with Mark started to deteriorate. They drifted apart and broke up amicably.
Patrick, their neighbor, started to stop by. From the beginning, Ken liked him, as did Hanna. The fact that the neighbor was mute from accident didn't bother him. He thought he could understand and communicate nicely with Patrick. But did he actually listen to what Patrick had been saying...?
I'm happy to see the friendship developed between Ken and Patrick. Even though they're attracted to each other since the beginning, they knew their place and priorities.
There are several things that I could live without They didn't really affect my enjoyment though.
The story is about diversity. There are many ways to do things. Including ways to say I love you...
September 25, 2016
Wonderful! So emotional and heart breaking. I enjoyed it so much, despite the fact that it made me cry countless of times.
I love the stories where the romance builds slowly. The outcome is really more anticipated.
Ken,a gifted painter, after recently moving, learns that his adopted daughter Hannah suffers from cancer. His boyfriend decides to break up with him, and he's left to endure all these situations alone. He feels hopeless and devastated, but when his neighbour Patrick shows up and makes his life easier, Ken'd heart starts to heal a little. Hannah's not doing so well, but Patrick is there for everything they need.
This story was so sweet. I loved the development of the feelings and the characters'. Patrick is such a darling. They two were so amazing together, such a strong chemistry. And little Hannah made everything brighter.
There was a little angst, but the book isn't overwhelmed by it. It's just the right amount to make it perfect.
This was on my TR shelf for a long time and I'm happy I finally took the time to read it. I wasn't disappointed one bit and I recommend this to all.
4.5 stars
I love the stories where the romance builds slowly. The outcome is really more anticipated.
Ken,a gifted painter, after recently moving, learns that his adopted daughter Hannah suffers from cancer. His boyfriend decides to break up with him, and he's left to endure all these situations alone. He feels hopeless and devastated, but when his neighbour Patrick shows up and makes his life easier, Ken'd heart starts to heal a little. Hannah's not doing so well, but Patrick is there for everything they need.
This story was so sweet. I loved the development of the feelings and the characters'. Patrick is such a darling. They two were so amazing together, such a strong chemistry. And little Hannah made everything brighter.
There was a little angst, but the book isn't overwhelmed by it. It's just the right amount to make it perfect.
This was on my TR shelf for a long time and I'm happy I finally took the time to read it. I wasn't disappointed one bit and I recommend this to all.
4.5 stars
July 16, 2016
Lubeless sex. Ouch.
Other than that, it was a very sweet story. Very, very sweet.
Other than that, it was a very sweet story. Very, very sweet.
November 4, 2012
This was definitely not the story I was expecting after reading the summary. The story that I read was a beautiful and romantic story between two men, one who has suffered a tragic accident and is trying to learn to live again and one who is trying to hold on to what is most precious in his life. I really thought that this would be a book full of angst and pull at the heart string moments, and while there are moments that are sad, there is so much hope and love in this story that you are just caught up in it. I loved how Patrick showed without words all that he was feeling and how the friendship and romance between Patrick and Ken developed slowly. Wonderful story.
March 11, 2016
Overall book rating 4 Stars
Audio book: Narrator - Max Lehnen 4 Stars
Book cover: 3 Stars
This book had me in tears... It was sweet and sad and had my emotions all mixed up.
Audio book: Narrator - Max Lehnen 4 Stars
Book cover: 3 Stars
This book had me in tears... It was sweet and sad and had my emotions all mixed up.
August 14, 2013
This is a really sweet romance with fabulous characters and an interesting story line. What makes this story special is it's "realness". The love story and drama are not over-the-top, rather it is real men, facing real issues and real heartbreak and coming out the end in one piece. It is not easy, as the story has elements of tragedy, illness, heartbreak and sadness. But it is how Ken and Patrick face the world that is inspirational (little Hanna should also get a mention here!)
Ken is facing the toughest period of his life as he and his daughter face the threat of cancer. Ken's partner has left him and he is dealing with Hanna's illness all alone. I have been fortunate enough to never have experienced such an illness in a child but the author really seemed to capture the emotion of both father and child perfectly. I could feel the fear and the pain and the worry and the myriad of other emotions they were going through.
Patrick has had is own fair share of tragedy, losing his voice in traumatic circumstances. His pain was obvious particularly in how he saw himself. "Oh, he could grunt and make sounds like an animal, but not the sounds of a human being, not like he used to." Just the thought of anyone, let alone an opera singer, losing such a precious gift as voice is heartbreaking. I had so much sympathy for Patrick and how isolated he felt in his life.
Both men are presented as wonderful and caring men, putting others before themselves which made them such a fabulous couple. Patrick observes Ken selflessly caring for his daughter and Patrick silently provides so much support without seeking any type of gratitude.
I loved the way the story unfolded and the love between Patrick and Ken. I loved the sensitive way the childhood cancer was managed. I shed a few tears and thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!
One last thing....I have had this book on the Kindle for a while and started reading without re-reading the blurb. I therefore made an assumption that this story was about deafness. Finding out it was about loss of the ability to communicate verbally was a surprise and it was nice to see a bit of a unique story line. I thought Andrew Grey did a wonderful job of making the relationship and love development between Patrick and Ken seem real, given the situation of limited dialogue. At first I wondered how Ken could fall in love with Patrick given they couldn't have much conversation - how was he to get to know Patrick? But this wasn't an issue at all. Ken falling for Patrick was totally believable!
4.5 stars
I now publish all my m/m reviews on my blog so if you want to see all my m/m reviews in one place come visit at Because Two Men Are Better Than One!
Ken is facing the toughest period of his life as he and his daughter face the threat of cancer. Ken's partner has left him and he is dealing with Hanna's illness all alone. I have been fortunate enough to never have experienced such an illness in a child but the author really seemed to capture the emotion of both father and child perfectly. I could feel the fear and the pain and the worry and the myriad of other emotions they were going through.
Patrick has had is own fair share of tragedy, losing his voice in traumatic circumstances. His pain was obvious particularly in how he saw himself. "Oh, he could grunt and make sounds like an animal, but not the sounds of a human being, not like he used to." Just the thought of anyone, let alone an opera singer, losing such a precious gift as voice is heartbreaking. I had so much sympathy for Patrick and how isolated he felt in his life.
Both men are presented as wonderful and caring men, putting others before themselves which made them such a fabulous couple. Patrick observes Ken selflessly caring for his daughter and Patrick silently provides so much support without seeking any type of gratitude.
I loved the way the story unfolded and the love between Patrick and Ken. I loved the sensitive way the childhood cancer was managed. I shed a few tears and thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!
One last thing....I have had this book on the Kindle for a while and started reading without re-reading the blurb. I therefore made an assumption that this story was about deafness. Finding out it was about loss of the ability to communicate verbally was a surprise and it was nice to see a bit of a unique story line. I thought Andrew Grey did a wonderful job of making the relationship and love development between Patrick and Ken seem real, given the situation of limited dialogue. At first I wondered how Ken could fall in love with Patrick given they couldn't have much conversation - how was he to get to know Patrick? But this wasn't an issue at all. Ken falling for Patrick was totally believable!
4.5 stars
I now publish all my m/m reviews on my blog so if you want to see all my m/m reviews in one place come visit at Because Two Men Are Better Than One!
October 30, 2012
A very sweet story.
It is almost like a fairy tale, Ken, dear Ken loves his daughter and when she is diagnosed with a potentially deadly disease, his life changes...
Patrick, the world was his oyster until a tragedy that took what meant the most to him away!
These two great guys meet and a friendship ensues.
Patrick is a real sweetheart, he takes care of so many things for Ken, without being asked or thanked, he doesn't even let Kem know all the things he does, but that's what friends do, and Ken needs them...
The parties were the best, Halloween and Christmas in the summer! A great touch!!
There really isn't any angst in this story or any unnecessary misunderstandings or drama...just a nice sweet story!
It is almost like a fairy tale, Ken, dear Ken loves his daughter and when she is diagnosed with a potentially deadly disease, his life changes...
Patrick, the world was his oyster until a tragedy that took what meant the most to him away!
These two great guys meet and a friendship ensues.
Patrick is a real sweetheart, he takes care of so many things for Ken, without being asked or thanked, he doesn't even let Kem know all the things he does, but that's what friends do, and Ken needs them...
The parties were the best, Halloween and Christmas in the summer! A great touch!!
There really isn't any angst in this story or any unnecessary misunderstandings or drama...just a nice sweet story!
March 1, 2013
I'm going to dissect the first paragraph of this novel to show how poorly it's written, and why no publisher should have let it seen the light of day. Don't think I'm fussing over one or two sentences. The first paragraph represents the novels uniform flaws. And they get worse. Horrible sentence construction and prose compact the terrible plotting and grammatical issues. Not one part of this novel showcased fine writing. The novel is plagued with so many issues on so many levels, I can only tackle a few.
First sentence:
"Ken moved quietly through the small house, darting around boxes as his insides twisted and turned with every sound that came from Hannah's room."
(Let's forget for a moment the sentence itself is too long winded with no substance and lacks any color, how quiet is Ken if he's "darting around boxes"? The word "darting" seems misused. Did the writer mean pushing aside boxes? Darting is usually used when describing something that is being thrown. Was Ken throwing the boxes? Again, how quietly can one throw boxes?)
"He'd have sworn on a stack of Bibles that he'd unpacked all the bathroom stuff, but he couldn't find the goddamned thermometer."
Even if the author was going for a hip colloquial voice, there are still too many no-nos in this sentence to make it past most editors. One, it's horribly cliche; two, if he unpacked all the "bathroom stuff" why was he not looking for the thermometer in the bathroom? Had he already? We're not told he had, and nothing in the flat writing gives us a reason to infer.)
"When he'd touched her forehead, she was hot, and he desperately needed to know how high her fever was."
(Firstly, the sentence makes no sense. Was she hot because he had touched her forehead? Or did the author mean to say she was hot to the touch? A horribly written sentence that any fifth grader could have improved. Furthermore, readers should be able to decipher that because he was so frantic in searching for the thermometer that Ken was desperate to know her temperature. Why else would he be searching for it in the first place?)
"'Daddy,' he heard Hannah call weakly, and ken hurried back upstairs to her room."
(This sentence reads more like a stage direction. Here's one time I'm going to give a quick rewrite: "'Daddy...' Hannah's weak voice halted Ken in his search and he raced upstairs." Any dozens of rewrites would be far more descriptive and original than this flat, first-draft, artless prose.)
"Hannah had kicked off her covers and was shivering in bed, so Ken pulled them back around her, touching her forehead once more before getting a glass of water and a cool cloth that he placed behind her neck as he held the glass for her."
(Whew! I did not make that up. That's copied verbatim from the novel. I'm guessing the Dreamspinner editors realized that this author's fans will purchase anything he writes--why bother with basic editing? A five year old could have rewritten that sentence to flow better. A word search shows that in the first two paragraphs alone, there are eight gerund phrases. Far too many. And most throughout the novel are used ungrammatically, like the one above. Unless Ken is made of rubber, I don't see how he can touch her forehead and retrieve the covers kicked to the floor at the same time. Keep in mind, this is one of the least offensive of the implausible gerunds used.)
"'Is that better, sweetheart?' Ken asked worriedly."
(A better writer would have recognized no need to attribute the speaker, and especially to state the obvious redundancy that he had asked "worriedly". Are we as the reader so stupid we couldn't have already figured out he's worried? The writing horrors go on and on and gets worse and worse.)
Basically what we have is either writer who has little concern for writing a tight, well-honed novel, or one who has a painfully limited concept for what makes good prose, style, and sentence rhythm.
As an avid reader, I refuse to accept that a story's "positive" message means we must suffer through horrible prose and flawed plot construction. I'd rather read a well-written novel about lesbian nuns who knit than hackneyed, artless bile that this novel represents. Yes, of course, I'm concerned for children who are dying, but somewhere out there, someone has written a novel on a similar subject who possess talent and commitment to solid prose (Lorenzo's Oil, perhaps?). The only use for this novel as is, is a place in a high school writing class entitled: "Don't let this happen to you."
First sentence:
"Ken moved quietly through the small house, darting around boxes as his insides twisted and turned with every sound that came from Hannah's room."
(Let's forget for a moment the sentence itself is too long winded with no substance and lacks any color, how quiet is Ken if he's "darting around boxes"? The word "darting" seems misused. Did the writer mean pushing aside boxes? Darting is usually used when describing something that is being thrown. Was Ken throwing the boxes? Again, how quietly can one throw boxes?)
"He'd have sworn on a stack of Bibles that he'd unpacked all the bathroom stuff, but he couldn't find the goddamned thermometer."
Even if the author was going for a hip colloquial voice, there are still too many no-nos in this sentence to make it past most editors. One, it's horribly cliche; two, if he unpacked all the "bathroom stuff" why was he not looking for the thermometer in the bathroom? Had he already? We're not told he had, and nothing in the flat writing gives us a reason to infer.)
"When he'd touched her forehead, she was hot, and he desperately needed to know how high her fever was."
(Firstly, the sentence makes no sense. Was she hot because he had touched her forehead? Or did the author mean to say she was hot to the touch? A horribly written sentence that any fifth grader could have improved. Furthermore, readers should be able to decipher that because he was so frantic in searching for the thermometer that Ken was desperate to know her temperature. Why else would he be searching for it in the first place?)
"'Daddy,' he heard Hannah call weakly, and ken hurried back upstairs to her room."
(This sentence reads more like a stage direction. Here's one time I'm going to give a quick rewrite: "'Daddy...' Hannah's weak voice halted Ken in his search and he raced upstairs." Any dozens of rewrites would be far more descriptive and original than this flat, first-draft, artless prose.)
"Hannah had kicked off her covers and was shivering in bed, so Ken pulled them back around her, touching her forehead once more before getting a glass of water and a cool cloth that he placed behind her neck as he held the glass for her."
(Whew! I did not make that up. That's copied verbatim from the novel. I'm guessing the Dreamspinner editors realized that this author's fans will purchase anything he writes--why bother with basic editing? A five year old could have rewritten that sentence to flow better. A word search shows that in the first two paragraphs alone, there are eight gerund phrases. Far too many. And most throughout the novel are used ungrammatically, like the one above. Unless Ken is made of rubber, I don't see how he can touch her forehead and retrieve the covers kicked to the floor at the same time. Keep in mind, this is one of the least offensive of the implausible gerunds used.)
"'Is that better, sweetheart?' Ken asked worriedly."
(A better writer would have recognized no need to attribute the speaker, and especially to state the obvious redundancy that he had asked "worriedly". Are we as the reader so stupid we couldn't have already figured out he's worried? The writing horrors go on and on and gets worse and worse.)
Basically what we have is either writer who has little concern for writing a tight, well-honed novel, or one who has a painfully limited concept for what makes good prose, style, and sentence rhythm.
As an avid reader, I refuse to accept that a story's "positive" message means we must suffer through horrible prose and flawed plot construction. I'd rather read a well-written novel about lesbian nuns who knit than hackneyed, artless bile that this novel represents. Yes, of course, I'm concerned for children who are dying, but somewhere out there, someone has written a novel on a similar subject who possess talent and commitment to solid prose (Lorenzo's Oil, perhaps?). The only use for this novel as is, is a place in a high school writing class entitled: "Don't let this happen to you."
December 26, 2012
I don't know how this book slipped past me. A gay painter who adopted a daughter struggles through treatment for leukemia with her. His neighbor, who is mute, begins doing some very sweet things for him and his daughter. Very sweet love story that will turn on the water works
August 10, 2013
Sometimes a book comes along that will touch you in ways not expected. This is one of those for me. I have read Andrew Grey's books before. I enjoyed them. This one stands out. I am normally not big on books that are overly angsty. I don't mind an occasional sad scene if it furthers the story but I do not care to be overwhelmed by them. This book is different. I was completely invested from the very first page of the prologue until THE END.
Ken and his partner of two years, Mark, move with Ken's adopted daughter, Hanna, to a small town. Within weeks of moving into their new home, Ken experiences every parent's nightmare when Hanna is diagnosed with cancer. Mark is unable to handle the amount of attention taken away from him (which is what I got from his break up speech) so he breaks it off with Ken and moves out. Ken is a well-known artist whose paintings are sold in galleries all over the world. Hanna is a 6-year old sweetheart.
Patrick is Ken and Hanna's neighbor. Because of an injury two years prior he is unable to speak. He is full of grief over what might have been. Before his injury, he was taking the world by storm. Now he is a sad, lonely man allowing life to pass him by. Intimidation and embarrassment prevent him from meeting new people. He is shy and insecure. He has no idea of his own worth. To Patrick, he is nothing more than a has-been who makes custom wood furniture for a living who is better off avoiding people.
Not long after Hanna's cancer diagnosis, mysterious packages are left at her and Ken's doorstep. Inside each box are items that are special to Hanna in some way, special hats to cover her now bald head, dolls and every other thing a little girl could get excited about. There is no note nor any hint of who might be leaving them. These precious gifts give a bit of happiness to a very sick little girl which in turn make her father happy as well.
Thanks to a precocious little girl, Patrick and Ken develop a friendship that grows strong over time and much later this friendship turns into much more.
This is a love story between Patrick and Ken but that is not all it is. It is about a precious little girl who you can not help but fall head over heels in love with. The author could have written this with Patrick and Ken at the center, putting Hanna and her illness in the background. He didn't and for that I am grateful. This story is real. You watch as Hanna is diagnosed and then you follow along as she goes through treatments that Ken hopes and prays will save his little girl. While this is happening, a love story is slowly taking place. Patrick becomes indispensable to Ken and Hanna. He is there for them always, without complaint. He may not be able to speak vocally but he says so much. There are events that Patrick puts into motion for Hanna that will have you crying your eyes out... in a good way. He does this often which meant a lot of tears on my part.
This is a very beautiful, heartwarming story. There are secondary characters who will make you smile and at times will make you cry. There is Mark, the ex, who was there and then suddenly he wasn't. It looked like the story was heading in one direction with him but then he just faded in the background without explanation. I am not sure how I feel about that. I do, however, commend the author for not making Mark out to be the typical stereotypical ex boyfriend. He is written as a fairly good guy who just needed something that was no longer there so he moved on.
This is not insta-love by any means. There are not a lot of sex scenes though the ones there are written beautifully. This is a story about illness, friendship, acceptance, healing, love and family.
I suggest having tissues close by. I'm not one to get too emotional by the stories I read but I found myself teary-eyed often.
Excellent story. I highly recommend it.
Review can also be found at On Top Down Under Book Reviews.
Ken and his partner of two years, Mark, move with Ken's adopted daughter, Hanna, to a small town. Within weeks of moving into their new home, Ken experiences every parent's nightmare when Hanna is diagnosed with cancer. Mark is unable to handle the amount of attention taken away from him (which is what I got from his break up speech) so he breaks it off with Ken and moves out. Ken is a well-known artist whose paintings are sold in galleries all over the world. Hanna is a 6-year old sweetheart.
Patrick is Ken and Hanna's neighbor. Because of an injury two years prior he is unable to speak. He is full of grief over what might have been. Before his injury, he was taking the world by storm. Now he is a sad, lonely man allowing life to pass him by. Intimidation and embarrassment prevent him from meeting new people. He is shy and insecure. He has no idea of his own worth. To Patrick, he is nothing more than a has-been who makes custom wood furniture for a living who is better off avoiding people.
Not long after Hanna's cancer diagnosis, mysterious packages are left at her and Ken's doorstep. Inside each box are items that are special to Hanna in some way, special hats to cover her now bald head, dolls and every other thing a little girl could get excited about. There is no note nor any hint of who might be leaving them. These precious gifts give a bit of happiness to a very sick little girl which in turn make her father happy as well.
Thanks to a precocious little girl, Patrick and Ken develop a friendship that grows strong over time and much later this friendship turns into much more.
This is a love story between Patrick and Ken but that is not all it is. It is about a precious little girl who you can not help but fall head over heels in love with. The author could have written this with Patrick and Ken at the center, putting Hanna and her illness in the background. He didn't and for that I am grateful. This story is real. You watch as Hanna is diagnosed and then you follow along as she goes through treatments that Ken hopes and prays will save his little girl. While this is happening, a love story is slowly taking place. Patrick becomes indispensable to Ken and Hanna. He is there for them always, without complaint. He may not be able to speak vocally but he says so much. There are events that Patrick puts into motion for Hanna that will have you crying your eyes out... in a good way. He does this often which meant a lot of tears on my part.
This is a very beautiful, heartwarming story. There are secondary characters who will make you smile and at times will make you cry. There is Mark, the ex, who was there and then suddenly he wasn't. It looked like the story was heading in one direction with him but then he just faded in the background without explanation. I am not sure how I feel about that. I do, however, commend the author for not making Mark out to be the typical stereotypical ex boyfriend. He is written as a fairly good guy who just needed something that was no longer there so he moved on.
This is not insta-love by any means. There are not a lot of sex scenes though the ones there are written beautifully. This is a story about illness, friendship, acceptance, healing, love and family.
I suggest having tissues close by. I'm not one to get too emotional by the stories I read but I found myself teary-eyed often.
Excellent story. I highly recommend it.
Review can also be found at On Top Down Under Book Reviews.
May 6, 2013
4 to 4,5 stars of loving, tender, moving love story
Sometimes all I need is to be able to sit back and enjoying a book that brings calm and heart-warming. This is one of the books I was lucky to find. I read about Mr. Grey’s books when searching for M/M romance, browsing for them and decided that this one was going to be the first from Mr. Grey I would read. Just read the blurb and see the cover, isn’t it beautiful? :)
Ken Brighton and Patrick Flaherty are two very kind, loving men. They’re neighbors. Ken had just moved to the burb to have different scenery, fresh air and hoping to live a calm life he was going to share with his partner, Matt, while raising his daughter, Hanna. One day, Hanna was sick, she happened to have cancer. During Hanna’s battle against her sickness, Matt broke the relationship with Ken. All of these wasn’t lost by Patrick. Patrick has been watching his neighbor since he and his daughter moved to the neighborhood. The small town knew Ken as they knew who Patrick was. Ken is successful artist/painter, Patrick was a singing star until tragedy struck and he lost his voice.
I couldn’t help but love Patrick instantly, he has a pure soul. He was afraid to show his interest to Patrick, thus he started sending packages for Hanna when at the same time slowly getting friendly with both Hanna and Ken.
This story is about overcoming adversities and acceptance. Life is far from perfect, people don’t get happiness all the time but if we allow ourselves, we will find out that love comes in many faces.
What I adore the most is how quiet, calm, silent the moments were yet the emotions were clearly captured and it’s beautifully unique for me. While there are some sad episodes, it has relatively no angst and definitely has a HEA. My only complaint is the ending seemed to be a bit rushed, I want to read more of them.
Sometimes all I need is to be able to sit back and enjoying a book that brings calm and heart-warming. This is one of the books I was lucky to find. I read about Mr. Grey’s books when searching for M/M romance, browsing for them and decided that this one was going to be the first from Mr. Grey I would read. Just read the blurb and see the cover, isn’t it beautiful? :)
Ken Brighton and Patrick Flaherty are two very kind, loving men. They’re neighbors. Ken had just moved to the burb to have different scenery, fresh air and hoping to live a calm life he was going to share with his partner, Matt, while raising his daughter, Hanna. One day, Hanna was sick, she happened to have cancer. During Hanna’s battle against her sickness, Matt broke the relationship with Ken. All of these wasn’t lost by Patrick. Patrick has been watching his neighbor since he and his daughter moved to the neighborhood. The small town knew Ken as they knew who Patrick was. Ken is successful artist/painter, Patrick was a singing star until tragedy struck and he lost his voice.
I couldn’t help but love Patrick instantly, he has a pure soul. He was afraid to show his interest to Patrick, thus he started sending packages for Hanna when at the same time slowly getting friendly with both Hanna and Ken.
Was that too much to ask? After all he’d lost already, was finding someone to love him too much to hope for?
This story is about overcoming adversities and acceptance. Life is far from perfect, people don’t get happiness all the time but if we allow ourselves, we will find out that love comes in many faces.
What I adore the most is how quiet, calm, silent the moments were yet the emotions were clearly captured and it’s beautifully unique for me. While there are some sad episodes, it has relatively no angst and definitely has a HEA. My only complaint is the ending seemed to be a bit rushed, I want to read more of them.
August 11, 2013
Every once in a while a book comes long that gets high marks from all my Goodreads friends, but then falls flat for me. This was one of those books :( It was a very sweet and very emotional book, but overall it just didn't do it for me. It happens. Won't stop me from reading Andrew Grey again. Moving on...
November 6, 2013
I love Andrew Grey. I do, but this one was a bit of a conundrum for me. This story really focuses around Ken and his adopted daughter Hanna and her illness. Ken is a famous artist and currently involved with Mark He decides to relocate to give his six year old daughter a more rural environment--a home town feel. Once there, Hanna gets sick and it is soon discovered she has Leukemia and so begins the nightmare of countless treatments that leave Hanna in such a weakened condition that it is apparent she may not survive. During this trial, Mark shows himself to be a bit of an ass and leaves Ken. While both agree that their two year relationship had begun to suffer even before Hanna got ill, it still was a bit of a blow for Ken to see hi go.
Meanwhile the silent and enigmatic neighbor (Patrick) begins to become a fixture in Ken and Hanna's life--just as as friend, which frustrates Patrick who wants desperately to be more. Patrick, through a freak accident that in my opinion was never really fully explained, has lost his ability to speak. Having been an up and coming singer (two albums released) Patrick now spends his time building handcrafted furniture and trying to recover from his devastating loss. As time moves on, and Hanna worsens, Ken reaches out more an more to Patrick who is rapidly falling in love with both Hanna and Ken.
While this was a sensitive and ofttimes moving story, I felt as though there were too many loose ends and plot points that never seemed to move toward completion. For instance, Mark ends up coming back and telling Ken he was sorry and wanted to start over. While we see Ken process this and realize he no longer want Mark as anything other than a friend, we never see a scene in which he informs Mark of his decision. Couple this with the fact that Patrick sees them kissing and then thinks he stands no chance at ever being more than a friend to Ken and you have a very loose end to this story line that just left me shaking my head.
Then there was Patrick's former life and the intimation over and over that he had been hurt by someone and found it difficult to open himself up to the idea of falling in love again. But we never find out who that person was or what happened to make Patrick so reluctant to risk his heart. Then, suddenly, he is over the hurt and ready to declare his feelings for Ken. This just did not compute for me--I needed to understand what had happened to make Patrick feel as he did.
I really enjoy this author. Unfortunately Love Comes Silently was just not as well put together as some of his other work.
Meanwhile the silent and enigmatic neighbor (Patrick) begins to become a fixture in Ken and Hanna's life--just as as friend, which frustrates Patrick who wants desperately to be more. Patrick, through a freak accident that in my opinion was never really fully explained, has lost his ability to speak. Having been an up and coming singer (two albums released) Patrick now spends his time building handcrafted furniture and trying to recover from his devastating loss. As time moves on, and Hanna worsens, Ken reaches out more an more to Patrick who is rapidly falling in love with both Hanna and Ken.
While this was a sensitive and ofttimes moving story, I felt as though there were too many loose ends and plot points that never seemed to move toward completion. For instance, Mark ends up coming back and telling Ken he was sorry and wanted to start over. While we see Ken process this and realize he no longer want Mark as anything other than a friend, we never see a scene in which he informs Mark of his decision. Couple this with the fact that Patrick sees them kissing and then thinks he stands no chance at ever being more than a friend to Ken and you have a very loose end to this story line that just left me shaking my head.
Then there was Patrick's former life and the intimation over and over that he had been hurt by someone and found it difficult to open himself up to the idea of falling in love again. But we never find out who that person was or what happened to make Patrick so reluctant to risk his heart. Then, suddenly, he is over the hurt and ready to declare his feelings for Ken. This just did not compute for me--I needed to understand what had happened to make Patrick feel as he did.
I really enjoy this author. Unfortunately Love Comes Silently was just not as well put together as some of his other work.
February 9, 2013
I must begin with a tissue warning, be sure they are handy, you will need one or ten! Also, don't start this book and expect to be able to sit it down, it's damn near impossible.
How do you convey the most basic feelings and emotions to the person you love, when you have no voice to speak them.
Ken Brighton's world is turned upside down when he learns his young daughter, Hannah, has cancer. To make matters worse his already strained relationship with his partner Mark is stretched even thinner as he spends every waking moment with Hannah, and Mark breaks up with him. Alone in a new house, and a new town, he pours himself into Hannah and almost misses the beauty that occasionally presents itself to him.
Ken's quiet and reserved neighbor Patrick lives a life of solitude, wrapped in a blanket of lonliness every since a brief act of violence left him without a voice. He slowly comes out of his shell as his interest in his new neighbor Ken grows from intrigue to attraction and ultimatley, love. Little Hannah as well is immediately comfortable with Patrick, even if she doesn't understand why he can't speak.
As Hannah grows weaker due to her illness and treatments, powering through and getting better only to have a set back again, your heart breaks; not knowing if she'll still be with us in the end. Grey balances that heart break with the quietly growing love between Ken and Patrick as Patrick attempts to convey his feelings for Ken through actions and emotions, when he can't just outright tell him. The things that Patrick does for Ken and Hannah had me crying and smiling! He is completely selfless and falls head over heels in love with them both not knowing if that love will be returned, and yet, he still falls.
Greys writing style is fantastic! The way he conveys emotions through a touch, a kiss, an expression and the way Patrick looks at Ken when he doesn't think Ken is looking, without using the sense of speech is brilliant. The way he shows Hannahs ability to be loving and resilient to spite her illness is heart breakingly beautiful! The storyline is basic, believable and relatable which just made it that much more interesting. Did I mention that Ken and Patrick do a damn fine job of steaming up the pages a time or two?
I give this one 5/5 I think that readers who don't generally read the M/M genre would still love this story. This book is fanfuckingtastic, which is a word I reserve for only the best stories, so that alone should add this book to your Must Read list! Hey, but that's just my two cents!!
How do you convey the most basic feelings and emotions to the person you love, when you have no voice to speak them.
Ken Brighton's world is turned upside down when he learns his young daughter, Hannah, has cancer. To make matters worse his already strained relationship with his partner Mark is stretched even thinner as he spends every waking moment with Hannah, and Mark breaks up with him. Alone in a new house, and a new town, he pours himself into Hannah and almost misses the beauty that occasionally presents itself to him.
Ken's quiet and reserved neighbor Patrick lives a life of solitude, wrapped in a blanket of lonliness every since a brief act of violence left him without a voice. He slowly comes out of his shell as his interest in his new neighbor Ken grows from intrigue to attraction and ultimatley, love. Little Hannah as well is immediately comfortable with Patrick, even if she doesn't understand why he can't speak.
As Hannah grows weaker due to her illness and treatments, powering through and getting better only to have a set back again, your heart breaks; not knowing if she'll still be with us in the end. Grey balances that heart break with the quietly growing love between Ken and Patrick as Patrick attempts to convey his feelings for Ken through actions and emotions, when he can't just outright tell him. The things that Patrick does for Ken and Hannah had me crying and smiling! He is completely selfless and falls head over heels in love with them both not knowing if that love will be returned, and yet, he still falls.
Greys writing style is fantastic! The way he conveys emotions through a touch, a kiss, an expression and the way Patrick looks at Ken when he doesn't think Ken is looking, without using the sense of speech is brilliant. The way he shows Hannahs ability to be loving and resilient to spite her illness is heart breakingly beautiful! The storyline is basic, believable and relatable which just made it that much more interesting. Did I mention that Ken and Patrick do a damn fine job of steaming up the pages a time or two?
I give this one 5/5 I think that readers who don't generally read the M/M genre would still love this story. This book is fanfuckingtastic, which is a word I reserve for only the best stories, so that alone should add this book to your Must Read list! Hey, but that's just my two cents!!
November 11, 2012
There was everything I expect from Andrew Grey... tender and sweet romance with strong sense of family and friends.
March 21, 2013
OMG the tears are still in my eyes....loved it loved it
August 27, 2013
A beautiful love story.
I'm torn on rating this book. The emotive part of me wants to rate it 5, the rational part of me is more like 3, so I guess I end with a 4. I know that if I wasn't in the mood for an emotional story that purposely plucks at the heartstrings I would have been less sympathetic in my rating. Usually, I feel resentment when an author is manipulative, but the way it was done--the care, the subtlety of the angst made me less angry.
The story itself is both sad and wondrous, sorta like life itself. Some amazing moments, some black, and a whole lot of carrying on in between. I suppose the thing I took away from this more than anything else is remembering the importance of demonstrating love to the important people in my life rather than giving it lip service.
I'm torn on rating this book. The emotive part of me wants to rate it 5, the rational part of me is more like 3, so I guess I end with a 4. I know that if I wasn't in the mood for an emotional story that purposely plucks at the heartstrings I would have been less sympathetic in my rating. Usually, I feel resentment when an author is manipulative, but the way it was done--the care, the subtlety of the angst made me less angry.
The story itself is both sad and wondrous, sorta like life itself. Some amazing moments, some black, and a whole lot of carrying on in between. I suppose the thing I took away from this more than anything else is remembering the importance of demonstrating love to the important people in my life rather than giving it lip service.
February 8, 2013
An excellent Andrew Grey novel. I'm not a fan of angst, but I loved the story line with Hannah and her illness. The romance had a very nice, slow arc and lots of emotion and heat. Definitely 5 stars.
September 20, 2014
As much as I love stories with mysterious plots, overpoweringly evil bad guys, and angsty drama all over the place, what a makes a story great, for me, is the characters involved. And that is why I love Andrew Grey’s stories so much: they are always about the men first, and the events second. This is not to say what happens or the secondary characters in Andrew’s stories are in any way unimportant. It is more that his focus is firmly on the main characters. The ‘Love is…’ series is a great example of that principle, and, based on this first book, it looks to me as though this series will be much the same. The theme for this series (and yes, I peeked at the blurbs for the next three books) is physically challenged men and how they deal with life and love. A courageous theme, and one that is close to my heart, and if this first book is any indication, it is going to be a stunning series indeed.
Ken faces a nightmare most parents never have to deal with: his adopted daughter, Hanna, who has been with him for two of her six years, has cancer. The nightmare of treatments and trying to give her as normal a life as possible is taking everything he has, so it is no surprise that his boyfriend of two years, who likes to be the center of attention, decides he can’t deal with it and leaves. Ken is now on his own, or so he thinks, but the friendship that develops with his mute neighbor, Patrick, is a huge help. Ken soon wants more, needs more, but the return of Hanna’s cancer takes precedence.
Patrick is an extraordinary man. His passion was singing—until his vocal cords were damaged in an accident and he lost the ability to speak, never mind sing. He has been struggling with his inability to communicate in a “normal” way, but refuses to learn sign language—because to him that feels like capitulating and admitting he will never get his voice back. I can so relate to that! With his quiet admiration for Ken, and the growing love for Hanna, Patrick learns that there are other ways to communicate what he feels, and I loved following his progress as he figured it out. Patrick is a wonderful, giving man, and the way he overcomes the obstacle of not being able to speak just goes to show how inventive the human mind can be, and how many other ways there are to “talk” about what you’re feeling. Amazing.
The “silent love” these two men share almost from the moment they meet is amazing, touching, and made me wish there were more of it around. The world would be a very different place if there were more men like Ken. He is able to understand and appreciate the non-standard way in which Patrick shows his love. Patrick has had to deal with the loss of the one meaningful thing in his life, his voice, but he has come out the other end an even better man. Needless to say, I loved both of them.
If you like stories about unusual men who face emotional situations and obstacles that would devastate the strongest person, if you want to read an emotional story about overcoming the odds, and if you’re looking for a deeply touching love story, then you will probably like this novel. I totally adored it and look forward to the next volume.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Ken faces a nightmare most parents never have to deal with: his adopted daughter, Hanna, who has been with him for two of her six years, has cancer. The nightmare of treatments and trying to give her as normal a life as possible is taking everything he has, so it is no surprise that his boyfriend of two years, who likes to be the center of attention, decides he can’t deal with it and leaves. Ken is now on his own, or so he thinks, but the friendship that develops with his mute neighbor, Patrick, is a huge help. Ken soon wants more, needs more, but the return of Hanna’s cancer takes precedence.
Patrick is an extraordinary man. His passion was singing—until his vocal cords were damaged in an accident and he lost the ability to speak, never mind sing. He has been struggling with his inability to communicate in a “normal” way, but refuses to learn sign language—because to him that feels like capitulating and admitting he will never get his voice back. I can so relate to that! With his quiet admiration for Ken, and the growing love for Hanna, Patrick learns that there are other ways to communicate what he feels, and I loved following his progress as he figured it out. Patrick is a wonderful, giving man, and the way he overcomes the obstacle of not being able to speak just goes to show how inventive the human mind can be, and how many other ways there are to “talk” about what you’re feeling. Amazing.
The “silent love” these two men share almost from the moment they meet is amazing, touching, and made me wish there were more of it around. The world would be a very different place if there were more men like Ken. He is able to understand and appreciate the non-standard way in which Patrick shows his love. Patrick has had to deal with the loss of the one meaningful thing in his life, his voice, but he has come out the other end an even better man. Needless to say, I loved both of them.
If you like stories about unusual men who face emotional situations and obstacles that would devastate the strongest person, if you want to read an emotional story about overcoming the odds, and if you’re looking for a deeply touching love story, then you will probably like this novel. I totally adored it and look forward to the next volume.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
August 16, 2014
This review was posted at Under the Covers
This is one of those sad but feel good stories about facing and overcoming adversities. I was almost in tears from the very beginning when we meet Hanna, Ken’s daughter. She’s been sick and now is diagnosed with cancer. They had just moved to a new town when this happens and after the first round of treatment, Ken’s longtime boyfriend decides to dump him.
It was sad to see Hanna go through her stages of being a happy and active kid, and then revert to being sick. Ken was strong throughout this and the last thing on his mind might’ve been finding another boyfriend. Except a really good looking and sweet man lived down the street from them. And you couldn’t help but notice the acts of kindness from him all the time.
But then he found out that Patrick couldn’t speak. We don’t know at first why but his story is also very sad but it shows his strength that he’s still pushing through after everything that has happened to him.
Patrick is the perfect compliment to Ken AND Hanna. Together they make a beautiful family. It was incredibly sweet to see Ken show Patrick his acceptance and his love, a love that built with time and it wasn’t rushed. A loved that felt true and it warmed my heart.
This was a beautifully touching story, and I wish I could read more like it.
This is one of those sad but feel good stories about facing and overcoming adversities. I was almost in tears from the very beginning when we meet Hanna, Ken’s daughter. She’s been sick and now is diagnosed with cancer. They had just moved to a new town when this happens and after the first round of treatment, Ken’s longtime boyfriend decides to dump him.
It was sad to see Hanna go through her stages of being a happy and active kid, and then revert to being sick. Ken was strong throughout this and the last thing on his mind might’ve been finding another boyfriend. Except a really good looking and sweet man lived down the street from them. And you couldn’t help but notice the acts of kindness from him all the time.
But then he found out that Patrick couldn’t speak. We don’t know at first why but his story is also very sad but it shows his strength that he’s still pushing through after everything that has happened to him.
Patrick is the perfect compliment to Ken AND Hanna. Together they make a beautiful family. It was incredibly sweet to see Ken show Patrick his acceptance and his love, a love that built with time and it wasn’t rushed. A loved that felt true and it warmed my heart.
This was a beautifully touching story, and I wish I could read more like it.
March 12, 2013
OMG This was such an amazing book, from beginning to end it kept me trapped! If you haven't read it I recommend you to NOT read any spoilers, in fact please try not to read to many reviews so you can get the whole experience.
SPOILERS AFTER THIS POINT.
Ok, I really really loved how Ken and Patrick began slowly as friends, I loved how their relationship was forged, I loved their maturity, it was just right.
I also loved how Mark wasn't made a bad and totally unlikable character, even if things didn't work between Ken and him, he was still a nice and decent man.
Another thing I loved is that I didn't knew if Hanna was going to make it until the very end, I just couldn't stop reading! everything was so powerful that I was just feeling it all with Ken and Patrick, I loved this book to no end.
SPOILERS AFTER THIS POINT.
Ok, I really really loved how Ken and Patrick began slowly as friends, I loved how their relationship was forged, I loved their maturity, it was just right.
I also loved how Mark wasn't made a bad and totally unlikable character, even if things didn't work between Ken and him, he was still a nice and decent man.
Another thing I loved is that I didn't knew if Hanna was going to make it until the very end, I just couldn't stop reading! everything was so powerful that I was just feeling it all with Ken and Patrick, I loved this book to no end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 16, 2013
*sigh* Have I mentioned how much I love adorable m/m stories? Because I really, really do. I can't get enough of them and I feel like I hit the jackpot when I stumble across one.
This book was very sweet. Ken was such a beautiful character to read. His love for his daughter was so heartwarming. But it was the mute Patrick that really stole my heart. His story is heartbreaking. He's silent, sensitive and completely made my heart melt with how thoughtful he is. All the stuff he did for Ken and Hanna made me want to just cuddle him forever.
This was an easy read, the writing was great and it's an incredibly touching story about illness, friendship, love and family.
This book was very sweet. Ken was such a beautiful character to read. His love for his daughter was so heartwarming. But it was the mute Patrick that really stole my heart. His story is heartbreaking. He's silent, sensitive and completely made my heart melt with how thoughtful he is. All the stuff he did for Ken and Hanna made me want to just cuddle him forever.
This was an easy read, the writing was great and it's an incredibly touching story about illness, friendship, love and family.
February 26, 2018
This is such a cute Story by Andrew Grey. I've read it several times (along with the others in his Senses series), so I was happy to see it listed in audio. I was a little hesitant at first to see how the narrator would do since Patrick is Deaf and cant talk and I wasn't sure how that would come across in Audio. But I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this narrator, he did a good job with the two MC's.
July 21, 2015
This was a lovely story.
I do like that Hanna's illness wasn't just a backdrop. But, man, the thought of any child going through all that, is heartbreaking. I know it happens every day, which makes it even sadder.
Ken and Patrick gravitate towards each other, but don't just jump into a relationship out of the blue.
There is a friendship forged first...especially with Hanna.
Good story.
I do like that Hanna's illness wasn't just a backdrop. But, man, the thought of any child going through all that, is heartbreaking. I know it happens every day, which makes it even sadder.
Ken and Patrick gravitate towards each other, but don't just jump into a relationship out of the blue.
There is a friendship forged first...especially with Hanna.
Good story.
June 9, 2017
This is a tender romance between a painter and a former singer.
The heart of the story is the little girl who is fighting cancer.
The romance is sweet and slow building.
The aspects outside of the love story and the relationships with the daughter are a bit too sketched to make this a rich book but it is a lovely sweet read.
The heart of the story is the little girl who is fighting cancer.
The romance is sweet and slow building.
The aspects outside of the love story and the relationships with the daughter are a bit too sketched to make this a rich book but it is a lovely sweet read.
August 13, 2016
Okay, this story didn't speak to me. I didn't feel the connection between Ken and Patrick. For me they simply didn't click. And even this fast time frame for Ken's daughter Hanna, who spent a lot of her time in a hospital, wasn't realistic. I didn't enjoy this story. It's a boring bland story.
July 10, 2013
So sweet and extremely touching. Have tissues handy!!
December 28, 2013
What a lovely story. I loved how this progressed. You felt the love even before the words were ever said.
December 2, 2017
Audiobook reviewMax Lehnen isn't my favourite narrator out there. I mean he is kind of ok to listen to, but his narration is flat. You all know that the truly great narrators makes to book and characters come alive. And the bad ones can kill a great book in 2 seconds flat. Lehnen comes close to the latter. It truly feels like he just reads the words before him, nothing more nothing less and no emotions near it.
The story itself was just ok, nothing spectacular and it didn't really hold much of my attention. I probably won't try more books in this series and just call it another bust.
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