What do you think?
Rate this book
Blizzards and Bullets
RILEY -- Shane has been my favorite person for my entire life. I’ve always loved him, and now I’m in love with him. I know he cares about me, too, but I’m sure he just thinks of me as his best friend’s kid. Now that he’s finished with active duty, he’ll probably start dating, and I’ll have to pretend to be happy for him. At least I’ll have this Christmas vacation with him and my family to look back on. I wasn’t planning to ever tell him how I felt, but now we’re snowed in together and I’m not sure I can hide my feelings. Especially when he holds me and tells me everything will be okay.
SHANE -- I devoted my life to the military. The closest thing I have to a family is my best friend and his wife and kids. I would never risk damaging that relationship by making a move on Riley, even though I realized last year that I’m in love with him. He should have someone better, anyway; someone smart and young and happy, like him. I don’t deserve him, especially now that my secrets have put his life in danger. I’ll do anything to keep Riley from being hurt, especially by me. But when he asks me for something I so badly want to give him, can I find the strength to say no?
SHANE -- I devoted my life to the military. The closest thing I have to a family is my best friend and his wife and kids. I would never risk damaging that relationship by making a move on Riley, even though I realized last year that I’m in love with him. He should have someone better, anyway; someone smart and young and happy, like him. I don’t deserve him, especially now that my secrets have put his life in danger. I’ll do anything to keep Riley from being hurt, especially by me. But when he asks me for something I so badly want to give him, can I find the strength to say no?
63 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 20, 2024
1 person is currently reading
7 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 17, 2024
So sweet with touches of danger! Exactly how I like it! I definitely need a follow-up showing what happens when Riley comes out to his parents and they discover that Shane is alive. 💕💕💕 These are the kinds of characters with the kind of chemistry that makes want the story to never end. If it was expanded to a 10 book series I'd read all 10!!!
July 20, 2024
It’s Christmas time and Shane has gone to the college to pick up his best friends son, Riley. Shane joined the military at the age of seventeen and met Russ his squad leader. He celebrated with the family often, as they had become his family. Shane recalls, Russ and Terry celebrating their twentieth wedding anniversary and Riley would be graduating in a couple of weeks. Shane remembered Riley being embarrassed about a poem he wrote. For Shane he liked the poem, it was of loneliness and the distance between the stars. Riley not only talked about when his Dad was gone, but he really missed Shane too.
For Riley home life was good but hectic. A Dad, Mom and siblings. His Dad being military was Commander and Chief at home. He wanted Riley to be a man and be more like him. But Riley wasn’t like him and he kept that secret to himself. He knows his Dad would try and fix him. Sometime he was just better off staying on campus.
For Shane this is supposed to be an easy assignment, get the target to his parents. It would all be on schedule but an upcoming blizzard and the unknown could interfere with that schedule. Riley was ready and offered, with a bright smile, to show Shane the robotics lab. Riley would be in this lab next year, with science and the magic. Shane had an interest in Riley for some time, but now he noticed that the nineteen year old, has gone from a boy to a man and it’s a greater temptation.
Now Shane would be spending three hours alone in the car with Riley. But a blizzard isn’t the big issue and Shane and Riley find themselves on the run from danger. Both Riley and Shane have their secrets. Will they finally share what they’ve been hiding and what will the outcome be for them both?
Mere Rain does really well with “Blizzards and Bullets.” For a short story it’s an easy quick read, packed with fast paced action, suspense, various emotions, a small fraction of violence, secrets to be revealed, and a romance that touches the heart.
The author creates an age-gap story with the perfect characters: Riley and Shane. They are both likable and show their emotions as the story goes along. Riley at one point seems to take on more of the adult role. Shane has to deal with the loneliness he has always faced and a job that can endanger Riley and his family.
For me “Blizzards and Bullets” is an entertaining short story and has all the elements that I like. Mere Rain always seems to pop-up with the best stories at the right time.
For Riley home life was good but hectic. A Dad, Mom and siblings. His Dad being military was Commander and Chief at home. He wanted Riley to be a man and be more like him. But Riley wasn’t like him and he kept that secret to himself. He knows his Dad would try and fix him. Sometime he was just better off staying on campus.
For Shane this is supposed to be an easy assignment, get the target to his parents. It would all be on schedule but an upcoming blizzard and the unknown could interfere with that schedule. Riley was ready and offered, with a bright smile, to show Shane the robotics lab. Riley would be in this lab next year, with science and the magic. Shane had an interest in Riley for some time, but now he noticed that the nineteen year old, has gone from a boy to a man and it’s a greater temptation.
Now Shane would be spending three hours alone in the car with Riley. But a blizzard isn’t the big issue and Shane and Riley find themselves on the run from danger. Both Riley and Shane have their secrets. Will they finally share what they’ve been hiding and what will the outcome be for them both?
Mere Rain does really well with “Blizzards and Bullets.” For a short story it’s an easy quick read, packed with fast paced action, suspense, various emotions, a small fraction of violence, secrets to be revealed, and a romance that touches the heart.
The author creates an age-gap story with the perfect characters: Riley and Shane. They are both likable and show their emotions as the story goes along. Riley at one point seems to take on more of the adult role. Shane has to deal with the loneliness he has always faced and a job that can endanger Riley and his family.
For me “Blizzards and Bullets” is an entertaining short story and has all the elements that I like. Mere Rain always seems to pop-up with the best stories at the right time.
December 23, 2024
Definitely a good read that goes on a bit of a journey. We have Shane, a roughly 37 year old man just finishing a 20 year stint in the military arriving at a college to drive Riley, the 19 year old son of his best friend, home for Christmas. Shane did wetwork for the military and apparently made an enemy who targets him on the road, forcing Shane and Riley off-road in blizzard conditions.
The premise is highly unlikely, but a good way to get the main pairing stranded in an isolated cabin in the woods with only one bed to share. I'm from a generation that kind of romanticized age gaps as relationship goals, so I'm mostly fine with the idea of Riley and Shane getting together. The scene where Riley literally feeds Shane a bite of pancakes in bed did read a little childish to me, though. If nothing else, it emphasized Riley's inexperience when his only history is making breakfast in bed for him mom on Mother's Day, her birthday or when she's sick. I'm also not the biggest fan of how Shane calls him sweetheart. It was the pet name I was given by a partner who was 20 years older than me when we dated and it just felt patronizing when he called me that, so I'm just not a fan of that nickname coming from the significantly older partner in an age gap pairing.
Moving on from that, I really like how much this covers for the page count. Shane takes advantage of the accident to fake his own death to evade his enemies, but he stays in touch with Riley because they both meant their declarations of love. They promise a reunion after a year if the coast looks clear and we get to see them together again in the end. It really gives the warm and fuzzy holiday feels.
The premise is highly unlikely, but a good way to get the main pairing stranded in an isolated cabin in the woods with only one bed to share. I'm from a generation that kind of romanticized age gaps as relationship goals, so I'm mostly fine with the idea of Riley and Shane getting together. The scene where Riley literally feeds Shane a bite of pancakes in bed did read a little childish to me, though. If nothing else, it emphasized Riley's inexperience when his only history is making breakfast in bed for him mom on Mother's Day, her birthday or when she's sick. I'm also not the biggest fan of how Shane calls him sweetheart. It was the pet name I was given by a partner who was 20 years older than me when we dated and it just felt patronizing when he called me that, so I'm just not a fan of that nickname coming from the significantly older partner in an age gap pairing.
Moving on from that, I really like how much this covers for the page count. Shane takes advantage of the accident to fake his own death to evade his enemies, but he stays in touch with Riley because they both meant their declarations of love. They promise a reunion after a year if the coast looks clear and we get to see them together again in the end. It really gives the warm and fuzzy holiday feels.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
October 15, 2025...Wut?
First, the blurb made me think this would all be going down at the family home, not in some cabin with some unhinged suspense, running for their lives situation. Immediately a little squicked out that Riley is a freshman in college. Then I was wondering why Shane was besties with an asshole, since Riley's dad is an emotionally abusive homophobe. The suspense situation was bizarrely easily (slash not at all) resolved. In a completely nonsensical way if you think critically about it in any way at all. And then we don't get to see how Riley's parents completely lose their minds because the best friend they think is dead is actually their closeted son's partner. Like. How's that even going to go?
First, the blurb made me think this would all be going down at the family home, not in some cabin with some unhinged suspense, running for their lives situation. Immediately a little squicked out that Riley is a freshman in college. Then I was wondering why Shane was besties with an asshole, since Riley's dad is an emotionally abusive homophobe. The suspense situation was bizarrely easily (slash not at all) resolved. In a completely nonsensical way if you think critically about it in any way at all. And then we don't get to see how Riley's parents completely lose their minds because the best friend they think is dead is actually their closeted son's partner. Like. How's that even going to go?
August 8, 2024
This age gap, close proximity Christmas story contains oodles of romance, suspense and adventure as Riley, a student, gets a lift home for the holidays with Shane, a military buddy of Riley's dad and a family friend.
The dual point of view shows us that both these men have romantic feelings for each other and it takes an ambush, together with a genuine brush with danger, for them to be able to admit their love and desire.
I thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced and deeply romantic story, where despite the high-octane action, there's plenty of backstory to both characters that had me cheering on their HEA. Great writing from Mere Rain, as always!
The dual point of view shows us that both these men have romantic feelings for each other and it takes an ambush, together with a genuine brush with danger, for them to be able to admit their love and desire.
I thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced and deeply romantic story, where despite the high-octane action, there's plenty of backstory to both characters that had me cheering on their HEA. Great writing from Mere Rain, as always!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews