After the Frost

by P.G. Owyns

In the Pacific Northwest of 1928, Julian Powell lives a life that for most appears to be one of privilege—a perfect life in a huge house, servants, and carefully groomed grounds. No matter how idyllic it might seem, it has become a prison for Julian. His days are filled with the endless monotony of family gatherings, gossip, and brown suits. Overshadowing him is a life-long illness. Julian finds his only freedom from his overbearing family in secretly writing books celebrating the beauty of nature. Occasionally he escapes to the local bookstore, with the hope of seeing the town’s eccentric, William Neill. Julian’s life changes forever when he makes the boldest decision of his life. He leaves to take care of an ailing childhood friend, moving to a place that will take him away from all he has ever known to an unexpected new life. He becomes part of a family of his own choosing, and it brings him closer to the man that he’s been secretly falling for—a man who has a prison of his own to escape. As William and Julian struggle to overcome their pasts, will their secrets bring them together or drive them apart?

Genres: Historical, M M Romance, Historical Fiction, Romance, Disability

175 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 4, 2014

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Review posted November 23, 2014





I know there are so many forms of love but to me, love is always inextricably linked with passion. After the Frost lacked that greatly. I don't want a love developed out of gratitude. Also, it was a little too gentle. A little too sweet. And there were too many tears and too much weeping.

For me, the realization of Julian that he was in love came too fast; I didn't feel it. And while the characters were certainly likable, I looked at them as contemplative friends not passionate lovers. Everything was too chaste and gentle; it mirrored the beautiful writing but it wasn't a fervent love story.

Julian and his childhood friend Mark have something in common. Both of them suffer from an allegedly fatal illness. Though the reader doesn't get to know as to what kind of illness these men suffer from. I found the physician's behavior slightly disturbing.
Telling a patient that he only has one year left to live without adding any further reasoning is somewhat strange, IMO. Julian had to undergo many tests but the reader is never privy to the results. Why not?

"I'll see you then," Dr. Albert frowned at him. Julian knew the look, the man could diagnose an illness from a glance. He was making sure Julian was alright. After an intense once-over, the doctor nodded, giving Julian a breath of hope that what he felt in his body might be true. The doctor picked up his hat and bag and headed towards the door.

I need to tell our family physician that I expect him to glance at us and diagnose straight away what we suffer from next time we need an appointment.

Of course we have the wondrous cure…

"I love you, Julian, with every ounce of who I am. I was a shell before I met you, my life, my soul, I am whole only because of you."
"I love you," Julian said, his lips moving against William's. "I have since I first saw you, your eyes light my days and your smile, your laughter, fills my heart. I want to live, William, for you, with you."

"What it says in the dedication is true, William. I can't explain it, but you have brought me to life. There is no year, now. I haven't been ill since coming here. I have been tired, but I am stronger every day. Since I walked away from my old life, I have slowly been learning to live, I don't know if there is a clock on my life or not. If there is, we will ignore it."

Since I started to read romance books I came across all kinds of healing cocks. This time around, it was much more subtle, though. It wasn't a specific cock that healed the deathly ill Julian. The reason behind his miraculous recovery was falling in love with William. The same can be said about Mark (his love Sebastian came to see him and "healed" him). Well, stranger things have happened, right? Regardless, I just didn't buy it and I thought that thesis stood on somewhat shaky legs (no pun intended).

What clearly stood out for me in After the Frost was the beautiful prose. The way the author described the weather, esp. the rain, or the soil and nature in general was wonderful. I could smell and taste the raindrops. I wanted to dig my fingers in the soil and care for my plants. That part of the story is a profound experience of its own. However, it is very unfortunate that the author succeeded to slip off simultaneously into Sapsville and Cheesefactory somewhere during the second half of the plot and the melodramatic touch didn't resonate well with me either.

After the Frost is not a bad book by any means but I can't help and feel underwhelmed.

[Sun · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was uncertain about starting this book. My friend Gaby recommended it to me and I typically trust her opinion. But, I'd never heard of this author and so few others had read/reveiwed it. Risky.

So worth the risk!

This book was ethereal in ways. It felt like a dream...so lovely and descriptive and robust in emotion...yet felt otherworldly. Ok, let me get out of my haze and tell you more...

This book is a historical story about a dying man who never knew love. It's about a small town with an angry and unfair class system.  It's about a recluse, nightmared by the war, but with the hugest capacity to love. It's about a man with a broken heart who's given up on life. And it's about an author who writes so gloriously about nature and all that lives and inhabits the earth that others find HOPE in life through his words.

Yes, it's about all those things.

Julian is the one who's dying. He's also the one who comes from a very rich, yet controlling and unloving family. They hate Julian for his sickness, which equates to weakness in their eyes. And they frown upon the working class...the very people that embrace and love Julian for who he is.

William is the town recluse, who lives in the hills, and who is so emotionally damaged by war, he has trouble moving on with life. Until one day, he comes upon an author who so eloquently describes and embraces the hope in the world, William can't help but to feel the same.

This book is not entirely a romance, but it is a love story. It's a story about loving life...and willing nature, tress, birds, bears, berries...everything around you...to fill you up. It's about friendships and promises. It's about choosing to live fully and about healing. It's not only about Julian and William. But the story is about everyone in the town and the characters all have a starring role.

Admittedly, if you can't tell by my blabbering review, the writing is a bit purple at times and honestly, over the top. So though I was enraptured in the beginning, it tired me a bit by the end. And there are some questions I have about the medical conditions and what becomes of them all.

Still...the story was beautiful and sweet and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you like a lyrical story that is sometimes emotional, sometimes lovely...I recommend you give this a try.

[Niki · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much to love about this story. The characters are well defined and interesting. It is so easy to love Julian and root for him to be with William not just for a year but for many many years. I like that their romance takes some time to develop and it is all the more touching and credible for it. Their love is so gentle and heartwarming with no contrived angst. The writing is lovely, the description of the surroundings and nature so lyrical and poetic that I wish I could be there with these guys. I never know the sound of rain and wind could be so beautiful! Julian is be terminally ill and we never know what actually plague him. But it does not matter as their story end with hope and hope is what make their love more memorable because of it. I read it free under Kindle unlimited trial and bought it immediately when I finished because it is such a gem of a story. I hope there is more gay romance to come from this writer.

[Adriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to second, third and etc. all the other reviewers who posted before me. This is a fantastically beautiful book, poetic , full of lyricism. Ms. Owyns wrote a wonderful love story between to scarred men, one physically ill the other traumatized after the great world. The book is beautiful, the writing is masterful. The description of the nature surrounding the cabin where the story is set, are breathtaking. You can see it, feel it, hear it, smell it. It's so lovely that you just want it to go on and on reading it, it makes you want to experience the place, the animals, the critters, everything. And the love story itself is slowly paced, which makes it more real. There is heartache, but no silly "just because I had to write some misunderstanding at 75% of the book" angst. And there's hope. A lot of hope. So, don't miss this one, it's a little gem of a book.

[Wende · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the Frost was a beautifully written book. It takes you to another time and place where there is beauty in everything. My favorite quote from the book was; “It is silence we truly discover the world. These quiet moments are full of song, of voice and the whisper of life.” Julian Powell is a young man who just learned he is dying within the year. Instead of giving up he decides to embrace living. He leave his home which had become his prison to take care of a friend. Even though he is dying he want to help his friend who has been abandoned by all but his father. In leaving he opened himself up to live for the first time. Julian found love and a future with William.

[Victoria Loves Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the Frost
Beautifully written love story. Highly recommend! I was enthralled with the poetic writing of this story and the descriptions of nature...I felt like I was there! Seeing & FEELING everything thru Julian's soul was very heartwarming.

[Angela Montoya · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful story! couldn't put their story down!! I am in awe of the way this was written!
WONDERFUL!

[Roxana Rangel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found it beautiful, and very well written. The characters are amazing, the way the author describes natures and seasons is magical and just amazing. To me it is a MUST READ.

[Jax · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was a lot I didn't like here. Editing issues, putting the breaks on near the end to recap a character's backstory straight through to current events, and lots of crying and trembling. But the weirdest thing was the preposterous way the hurt/comfort kink was handled.

The POV MC has an unnamed, life-threatening illness, receives a prognosis of a year to live without even a medical exam, and is apparently on the mend by the end of the book just....because. In addition, he is at one point beaten to near death and his childhood friend has returned home because he, too, is dying. Turns out that was from a broken heart so he's all better by the end too. Good grief!

[Misty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous Story! very inspiring ...

[Saba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely.

[UnusualChild{beppy} · Rating 4 out of 5]

synopsis: julian has been frail all his life; in point of fact, he wasn't expected to live to adulthood, but he managed to in spite of everything. then he is given the news that he really won't be alive in a year. he decides that, rather than continue on as he has been, barely living and letting his overbearing aunt and obnoxious cousins run all over him, he will do what he wants to. to that order, he moves out to take care of a childhood friend who is sick and who is shunned by society. while there, he meets william, who is a bit of a mystery to their small community. as julian and william work together to make mark better, they get to know one another. when julian is attacked one night and almost killed, william takes him to his house so that the aunt won't be able to force him to come "home" when he's too weak to do anything about it. living in the woods with only nature surrounding him helps julian get better, and he and william start to build a relationship.

what i liked: the slow build in relationship, and the blossoming of julian. i liked that they healed each other. i really liked william and julian, along with their friends. i liked that nature was worked into the story and almost felt like another character.

what i didn't like: the over-usage of commas. seriously. there was a plethora of 'em. i also didn't like that although it was implied that julian would live longer than the year that was given him, there was no definite ending to support that.

warning: minor grammatical errors; misplacement of apostrophes, 'h' in front of the word 'and', etc.

[Kira · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 stars

Some books don't have to be exciting to be beautiful and compelling, and this is one of those. It is lovely precisely because it's quiet, full of wonder about life, and nature, and of course books, since two main characters are unknowingly and rather intricately bound by books of a well-known author D.S. Remington.

There were some minor flaws: some redundant scenes and conversations, especially in William's POV, which, on the whole, I didn't even think was necessary here. I'd rather have more about D.S. Remington's books or the nature of Julian's illness.

And yes, about those illnesses. The blurb doesn't give you much hope - I'd think twice myself before reading a romance novel with such a premise. But After the Frost is actually not depressing at all, and the ending is happy.

[Lisa Cullinan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beauty for your soul

If I could give After the Frost ten stars, I certainly would. This story is a beautiful reminder of what loves does to all of us: love gives hope, can physically kill, aches for passion, extends a helping hand and a sympathetic ear. In a natural sense, if you close your eyes, love, in all its natural beauty, surrounds us. In this story, Julian and William have proved all this to be true. Fall as hard as you can, feel as deep, and love will will heal your body, your mind and fill your soul. This book was a pleasure to read and I'll keep it as my hidden treasure, happily knowing that I can reread it whenever I want to feel at peace.

[Gaby · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars rounded up.

Review tomorrow... Just know that this was a great story with a deliciously slow build up and great characters.
G'nite for now ;)

[DTBrazil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was a gentle reading, I felt really good while reading it and there is a nice warm feeling in my chest every time I think about the story. Thanks for writing it!

[Victoria Zagar · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up.