Icarus in Flight

by Hayden Thorne

James Ellsworth is a bit jaded, especially for his young age. He hates school and longs for his parents’ estate, where life is far more pleasant. Meeting new schoolmate Daniel Courtney is a much-needed distraction, one that will prove more and more engrossing as James and Daniel grow older.

When his father dies, James is thrust into a position of responsibility, not just to his estate, but to his mother and sister as well. He leans as much as he can on his friendship with Daniel, but young Courtney has his own problems. His brother, George, is all Daniel has left in the world, and when he loses his brother to a freak accident, Daniel is left alone and without prospects.

All the while, the two young men are discovering a relationship that their Victorian world will never approve of. Trying to deal with their loss and their love drives them apart -- James to a life of debauchery, Daniel to a life of study and work.

As they grow older, James and Daniel discover that life is not what they thought it would be when they were schoolboys together, and that, even as they try to make their own way, they always come back to one another.

Genres: Historical, M M Romance, LGBT, Gay, Romance

252 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2008

About the author

I write gothic fiction, fairy tales, and ghost stories with a touch of gay romance. For a complete and updated list of my published books, please visit my Books2Read store .

Reviews

[Nico · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, I originally read this back in 10th grade for class, as I got to pick the novel for it, so long as it was a historical fiction novel. I absolutely adored it back then, and I recently revisited it.

It still holds up, even now that I'm 22 and in college. I'm about halfway through my re-read, and it still captures me in the way that it did years ago. Amazing work, highly recommend.

[Elisa Rolle]

This is a young adult novel. For teens from 14 years old and up. So reading it I tried to imagine myself like an innocent girl or boy, and then I reprimanded myself: how much innocent are 14 years old boys? Giving that I was 13 years old when I read my first romance, probably not much. All this introduction to say that I didn't find Icarus in Flight a novel strictly for teens, actually I think it is a very good reading for all ages and sincerely I think that an older reader will appreciate it more than an innocent boy.

James is the only son of a wealthy family. He has two sisters, but obviously he will be the heir and so the future master of their life. And so James is pretty self conscious of his role, and let me say, not a very naivee boy. At 12 years old he is well aware of his "importance" and of his influence in others life. When he meets David, 11 years old and orphaned, newly arrived in his boarding school and with a bitter future ahead of him like the target of all the bullies in the school, James decides to take him under his patronage. David has only his brother as relative, and when James offers him friendship and shelter, he readily accepts, turning James in his personal idol to worship.

James's superiority and self-consciousness grows farther on when his father suddenly died, leaving him to his new role as master of the house at only 14 years old. James grows too fast and too soon and he also decides that he will be the caretaker of young David, more so when the boy loses also his brother. Soon before James's departure for college the relationship between James and David shifts from friendship to love, still remaining innocent also for all the period during which James is at college. But when he is again at home, with also more experiences behind his shoulders, also of sexual things, he is ready to tighten the bonds between him and David.

But David, probably tired to be always in charge of someone else, and fearing to lose himself in James' embrace, even if it's desired and cherished, asks for time and space. No good comes from the separation and the two men take different paths risking to lose not only their love but also themself in the process.

Since the young characters begin their coming of age journey when they are still very young, this is probably considered a young adult novel. And probably because there isn't graphic sex... but mind you on the term, I said "graphic", I didn't say that there isn't sex, since in my opinion, what sex you will find in this novel is somewhat more sensual and deepen of what you will find in other romance. This is first of all a love story: even if James and David grow apart, the reader knows that they are star-crossed lovers and that they are right for each other.

This is a Victorian novel and it's finely crafted in details and words: there are not a lot of political events or figure to set the story, apart a note about the Great Exhibition in London, all the story is made more of family interiors and small receivements. I love above all the letters James and David exchange for all the course of the story, lately I notice that I'm fond of love correspondences.

So in the end, I arrive to two possible conclusion: or I have a young soul, and so I can love a tale written for teens, or Icarus in Flight is a novel that can satisfy a wider range of age.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1603703551/?...

[Linh · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Ellsworth was bored and homesick when he first met Daniel Courtney. Daniel was a new student at Appleton School, an impoverish boy who was picked on. Seeing the scrawny lad as an interesting distraction, James took Daniel under his wing and the two of them soon developed a close friendship. When James’ father died, James was sent back home to care for his family and their estate. The weight of responsibility was hard on him and he begins to lean on Daniel for support. However, soon Daniel’s brother was killed in an accident and he found himself penniless. The boys’ initial friendship was rapidly growing into something more---an intimate relationship that their society would never approve of. They aren’t in the schoolroom anymore, and they learn that there are countless obstacles to conquer before they would be able to carve out a place for themselves in the unforgiving world.

First off, I would like to give a big cheer to Ms. Rose Lenoir, the wonderful, wonderful cover artist for ICARUS IN FLIGHT. The cover design is gorgeous! It was beautiful and refined and I fell in love and knew I had to read the book immediately. The title is also brilliant and original; kudos to the author Hayden Thorne. This is my first GLBT book and I enjoyed it. The story, much like the cover, is sophisticated and compelling. Both James and Daniel are well-drawn characters and their relationship set the pages on fire. They (Daniel especially) struggle between giving in to each other and staying true to themselves, all the while keeping their love a secret from friends and family. The plot is light and a bit slow at times but Ms. Thorne’s use of language is amazing. The historical setting is brought to life and the dialogue between characters is well written. Other than small problems (there are times where the storyline drags), ICARUS IN FLIGHT is a well written book with a cover that more than do it justice.

[Sala Bim · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars because the writing is nice and in the beginning I believed this would be the perfect novel for me. I love historical, non-sexual or inexplicit sex, a little bit of repression, and some good formal, flowery writing. But there were some aspects here that turned me off and I ended up not enjoying it like I wanted. I will try not to give away any plot devices, but in my opinion, the driving events that were meant to move the plot along were weak (again, just my opinion). I felt like there were many other ways, better ways, to push it along. I didn't really care for one of the characters. I understand having to go out into the world to find yourself and having to experience life and so on, but to me the plot was just weak. It was hard for me to sympathize. I also don't want to read about people in love having sex with other people (ESPECIALLY if it's with women, if the MC is supposed to be a gay man. And also if it's with prostitutes). I feel like there could have been better, stronger devices there instead. There was not a single decent gay person available as a role model for there two protagonists. Everywhere they went, every homosexual was written as this dreadful entity. It was disheartening to me. And (POTENTIAL SPOILERS!!!!) I felt the ending was weak. They seemed to only come together after being rejected from everyone else; as a last resort. It didn't seem like growth to me. It felt like resolution. I didn't feel the love anymore and it felt more like a resignation to a half life than true love. It felt more like a gay man has decided to marry a woman he doesn't really love (and they both know it) and will just be resigned to an unhappy, unfulfilled life....Anyway, I'm rambling so I will stop but I felt there was a lot of wasted potential here. In my mind it could have been a masterpiece, but oh well...The writing itself was wonderful though, and descriptive.

[The Novel Approach · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the many things I’ve always loved about Hayden Thorne’s work is that “a-ha moment” when I find the one thing to connect to that suddenly makes her books more for me than what they might seem on the surface. Knowing the legend of Icarus, of how his hubris, or pride, or simply the sheer giddiness of his freedom led him to ignore his father’s warning against flying too near the sun or too close to the sea, but to follow a very careful path of least resistance, became his greatest downfall.


See the entire review at The Novel Approach: http://thenovelapproachreviews.com/20...

[Reader (Show me, don't tell me) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This historical romantic story of two boys in school who became lovers as teenagers and having to deal with the distressing reality of their friends and family's anger and disappointment towards their love. The story does holds one's interest and the flow and passage of time was effortless writing on the author's part. Took me 1.5 days to complete. Well worth time, money and the teary eyes! (I've posted this review elsewhere)

I'll add here that I was especially glad that this story did not flow over into a sequel or trilogy etc.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thorne's mastery at creating a complete world filled with rich settings and fully-realized characters is perfectly displayed in her tale of James and Daniel, from their schooldays into adulthood while they struggle with their homosexuality. Set in Victorian England.

[Maurice Wijnen · Rating 3 out of 5]

19th century gay drama, with some beautiful moments. Good premisse, less strong Middle part but strong ending. Classy and well written but sometimes a bit unsatisfying in the Middle part of the book.