Contrition

by Miri Thompson

Mateo has known Gavin Hughes since high school, back when they were both still in the closet. He knows Gavin is a decent guy. And he can't deny the attraction between them, even though Mateo is in a committed relationship.

So why the hell is Mateo so terrified of him? And why is Gavin standing in his office, swearing that he needs to make amends?

Because of the nightmares. In his dreams, Mateo keeps reliving the life of a young man who was born a century ago. A young man with good reason to fear Gavin . . . or the man Gavin once was.

140 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 30, 2013

About the author

My stories are a concoction of mystery, fantasy, LGBTQ romance and power exchange (voluntary or otherwise). They're smart fluff—while there is some dark fare, you won't find bone-deep angst. Enjoy!

Reviews

[Clodia Metelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contrition is a novel with an intriguing premise. Religious studies Professor Mateo has been haunted all his life by vivid dreams set in another time and place in which a man smothers him to death. At high school, he encounters the man of his nightmares, in the face of fellow student Gavin Hughes. He promptly throws up. Years later, Gavin Hughes shows up in his office, confessing to having vivid dreams and memories of the same events that have haunted Mateo. They share vivid recollections of having been young soldiers in Spanish Morocco on the eve of the Spanish Civil War. Mateo was in the wrong place at the wrong time as a coup was being planned and Gavin accordingly eliminated him. Gavin acknowledges his guilt for what he did and offers to make amends to Mateo for robbing him of his life in a previous incarnation.

While the first part of the story brings up powerful questions of guilt and redemption, of how much responsibility you can carry for an act you committed in another life and another time, the second part leaves these issues behind to some degree and focuses on the romantic and domestic drama of how Gavin can find a place in Mateo's life alongside his lover Alex. Are Mateo's doubts about whether he can have a relationship with both Gavin and Alex about his Catholic faith, already stretched by his acceptance of the possibility of reincarnation, or are they down to simple jealousy and insecurity?

This is an intriguing and original story, based on a powerful premise. It's also a fun and sometimes sexy account of how a couple welcome a third man into their relationship. The contrast between the otherworldly and portentous questions raised at the beginning of the story and the down to earth working out of relationship dynamics that form the bulk of the narrative is perhaps a little disconcerting. Gavin however is a supremely practical and pragmatic character and having accepted that he owes Mateo a life it is in the here and now that he dedicates himself to making amends by doing his best to makes sure that Mateo's current life is happy and successful.

[J.P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful m/m to m/m/m story with some sexy heat as well as thoughtful discussions of history, politics, religions and the afterlife. I very much enjoyed the journey, although I found myself wishing that one of the central characters (Gavin) had been explored with a bit more depth. Matteo was a most interesting MC.