Lifeline

by Brynn Stein

Eric Duncan rolls into a quaint Upstate New York town to sell medical supplies. He doesn't intend to stay long, but an apparently homeless man whom he keeps running into catches his attention. While passersby ignore the man, Eric can't leave the situation alone.

Dennis Hayden's last memory is of hiking in the mountains. He doesn't know how he ended up in town, nor how he keeps popping up in various places. He walks around aimlessly, trying to recall something as simple as his name. He's not sure what to think of the stranger he sees repeatedly, and who keeps trying to talk to him.

While meeting a potential client at the hospital, Eric overhears a young lady looking for her brother who went missing several days ago, while hiking. Eric recognizes the picture of Dennis on the flyer and sets out to reunite him with his sister.

Genres: M M Romance

65 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 4, 2015

About the author

Brynn Stein has always loved to write. Fan fiction, original fiction, whatever. While Brynn wrote in numerous genres—everything from mystery, to contemporary, to supernatural—she had always tended toward strong male characters. And then she discovered “slash,” male/male romance, and all those strong male characters were finally allowed to express their love for one another. It seems that there are always at least two characters clamoring to tell Brynn their story.



Brynn lives in Virginia with one of her two two-legged children, and two four-legged ones. Her supportive family encourages her writing and provides a sounding board for fledgling stories. When she isn’t writing, Brynn teaches children with special needs. In free time, when such a thing exists, she reads anything she can get her hands on, and haunts bookstores. She draws and paints, and enjoys the outdoors—especially if she can get to the beach—and is always thinking about her next story.

Please feel free to contact Brynn at any of the following:
https://twitter.com/BrynnStein

http://brynnstein2.wordpress.com
https://www.facebook.com/
brynnstein2@gmail.com

Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars, rounded up.

I liked the supernatural touch in this story, but sadly, it was too short for what it tried to do. There wasn't enough book to explore the characters fully, and I thought that the relationship moved much too quickly, from meeting by chance in a town where neither Eric nor Dennis live, to finding out what's happening, to moving in together - all of it seemed squished into too few pages.

I didn't mind the lack of steam, as that is not anything super important to me in a romance, but the relationship development was lacking here. While I liked Eric and Dennis both, I didn't quite believe the romance I was expected to buy here, and would have probably enjoyed this book more if we had seen a deeper exploration of how they fall in love.

I also liked Dennis' sister, and her portrayal of being skeptical at first seemed accurate. The scene at her hotel room was really well done.

The writing itself is quite good, and the story flows by nicely, so no complaints there.

The ending appears to be a bit of a teaser, which made me wonder if we'll see more of this couple down the road.

** I received a free copy of this book from its publisher. A positive review was not promised in return. **

[Lena Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I was lost so long but found in the nick of time. Well, I was out here in desperation, no means of communication, just looking for a sign. Then you threw out your lifeline.” ~ Dusty Springfield (Lost)

In his work as a traveling salesman, Eric Duncan, of Brynn Stein's 'Lifeline', comes to a small, friendly town. He is impressed with the welcoming atmosphere of the place and decides he might stay a while longer than usual. While Eric is sitting in the local diner, a man comes in the door. Eric doesn't understand why everyone is ignoring him. When the man leaves, Eric follows him. The stranger appears to be homeless, lost, and confused. Eric makes a decision to help him however he can. Eric finally catches up with him and tries to find out what he can do to make things better for him. The problem is, he keeps disappearing—literally. Eric finally learns that his name is Dennis Hayden and he is, indeed, lost; he doesn't even understand how he got to town. For that matter, Dennis can't remember how he gets from one place to another within the town. Eric feels inexplicably drawn to Dennis who is a complete stranger. Somehow, in spite of it all, Eric and Dennis begin to connect emotionally; helping him becomes very personal.

In the meantime, Eric overhears a conversation the hotel manager is having with a desperate young woman looking for her brother who has been missing for several days. Eric concludes that Dennis is most likely her brother and decides that he is going to try to reunite them. When Eric tells him about the woman. Dennis agrees that it's probably his sister and wants to meet with her. Surprisingly, when Eric finally reaches for Dennis, instead of connecting, his hand goes right through him. Dennis is as surprised as Eric. They go up to Eric's hotel room to try to figure things out. They discuss Dennis's 'state of being' and decide that he must be dead and is a ghost only Eric can see. Eric doesn't believe in such things, but with the 'evidence' right in front of him, he's forced to accept it. The next time Dennis disappears and reappears, he's in pain, making matters even more complicated. If Dennis is dead, how is this possible? They have to reassess his “condition” and look for another explanation.

This is a very unique love story that challenged me to think out of the box. The whole supernatural scenario had me guessing, trying to figure out why only Eric could see Dennis and exactly what “state of being” Dennis was in. Also, how can a man and a ghost fall in love so suddenly and completely unless they were soulmates, destined to meet regardless? I would like for the story to be a little longer, going into more detail about Dennis and Eric's relationship; but, since the story had a cliff-hanger ending, I am hoping it means I will see Eric and Dennis again which would be delightful. If you like stories with a supernatural twist with love happening, regardless of the obstacles, you may enjoy this tale.
“I was lost so long but found in the nick of time. Well, I was out here in desperation, no means of communication, just looking for a sign. Then you threw out your lifeline.” ~ Dusty Springfield (Lost)

In his work as a traveling salesman, Eric Duncan, of Brynn Stein's 'Lifeline', comes to a small, friendly town. He is impressed with the welcoming atmosphere of the place and decides he might stay a while longer than usual. While Eric is sitting in the local diner, a man comes in the door. Eric doesn't understand why everyone is ignoring him. When the man leaves, Eric follows him. The stranger appears to be homeless, lost, and confused. Eric makes a decision to help him however he can. Eric finally catches up with him and tries to find out what he can do to make things better for him. The problem is, he keeps disappearing—literally. Eric finally learns that his name is Dennis Hayden and he is, indeed, lost; he doesn't even understand how he got to town. For that matter, Dennis can't remember how he gets from one place to another within the town. Eric feels inexplicably drawn to Dennis who is a complete stranger. Somehow, in spite of it all, Eric and Dennis begin to connect emotionally; helping him becomes very personal.

In the meantime, Eric overhears a conversation the hotel manager is having with a desperate young woman looking for her brother who has been missing for several days. Eric concludes that Dennis is most likely her brother and decides that he is going to try to reunite them. When Eric tells him about the woman. Dennis agrees that it's probably his sister and wants to meet with her. Surprisingly, when Eric finally reaches for Dennis, instead of connecting, his hand goes right through him. Dennis is as surprised as Eric. They go up to Eric's hotel room to try to figure things out. They discuss Dennis's 'state of being' and decide that he must be dead and is a ghost only Eric can see. Eric doesn't believe in such things, but with the 'evidence' right in front of him, he's forced to accept it. The next time Dennis disappears and reappears, he's in pain, making matters even more complicated. If Dennis is dead, how is this possible? They have to reassess his “condition” and look for another explanation.

This is a very unique love story that challenged me to think out of the box. The whole supernatural scenario had me guessing, trying to figure out why only Eric could see Dennis and exactly what “state of being” Dennis was in. Also, how can a man and a ghost fall in love so suddenly and completely unless they were soulmates, destined to meet regardless? I would like for the story to be a little longer, going into more detail about Dennis and Eric's relationship; but, since the story had a cliff-hanger ending, I am hoping it means I will see Eric and Dennis again which would be delightful. If you like stories with a supernatural twist with love happening, regardless of the obstacles, you may enjoy this tale.

NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

[Susan65 · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a pleasant surprise this short turned out to be. I was expecting one thing, but got something much better. I think I held off reading it because I wasn’t in the mood for bittersweet, and lo and behold, it was not so bitter but definitely a little sweet.

Eric keeps running into what he considers either a homeless man, or someone who needs medical assistance. Whatever it is, he is drawn to Dennis and is intent on helping the confused man. This is not an insta-lust nor a sexy story, but one of humanity and love. Eric just sees someone in a bind and needs to do something for him. Unfortunately, every time he turns around, Dennis disappears on him before he can get him to the hospital.

The mystery isn’t that well kept, and I knew from the beginning that Dennis was more than meets the eye, but it did nothing to detract from my enjoyment of the story. I was more concerned with how it was all going to play out at the end. I admit, it did surprise me in some parts, but it is a really fast, enjoyable read that kept a nice steady pace. Equal parts intrigue and mystery. Were the paranormal aspects too fast and too easy? Of course, but it was still what I needed to read at the time, so no complaints here.

There is a little bit of angst when Dennis comes back to land of living but doesn’t remember Eric, but I had faith, it is a romance novel, after all. And the ending just nailed it.

The Blogger Girls

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

So in this book Eric travels a lot for work. On one of those trips he meets Dennis.
Now I had a really hard time believing a lot of this Novella. There were just parts that did not seem right to me. I don't want to go to much into what I had a hard time with because I do not want to spoil this book for someone else. So I will try to explain without spoilers..
The laughing and joking around at times that were supposed to be serious or what I thought were supposed to be serious moments was a little weird to me.
Then there was the super fast way their relationship moved. One minute Dennis does not believe him and the next they are moving in together. That happened a little to fast to me and I honestly am not sure how I feel about them as a couple because you really do not see them together much.
I really did like where the author was going with this story, I just had a hard time wrapping my head around some parts of this book.

So I am sad to say this Novella was just not for me...
I received this book free in exchange for an honest review from Inked Rainbow Reads.

[CrabbyPatty · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story with an interesting twist.

[Elaine White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book - Lifeline
Author – Brynn Stein
Star rating - ★★★★☆
No. of Pages – 55 (only 43 pages of story)

Ease of reading – easy to read, after the first page or two.
Would I read it again – Yes, probably.

** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK, BY THE AUTHOR, IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **

This is my first Brynn Stein book, though I own quite a few of them. It all comes down to not enough hours in the day and not enough days in the year.

This was a difficult one for me. There were a lot of great things about this story, but also a few niggles that didn't work for me.

-

Writing

First off, the very first page didn't sit well with me. It was choppy and the story is told in first person, which isn't always an easy POV to read. Especially when you don't know what's going on. (I'll come back to this later) The sentences are punchy, short and don't give you much to work with. There's no emotion in them; no sense of time, feeling or attitude. They're descriptive, without being long and drawn out, but I think I'd prefer that to such brutal choppy lines. They feel extremely impersonal and unnatural:

“I was new in town. Had just arrived, in fact. I thought I'd stop by the local diner to pick up a bite to eat. It was an okay palace. Small, but clean and well lit. It was moderately full. Not bursting at the seams, but not empty either.”

I think I'd have liked the use of a few more semi-colons, just to make it less dramatic. Another thing to point out is that I completely missed the spelling mistake with 'palace' when reading (until I copied out the quote) because these sentences were so jarring. I'd just come from reading the intro blurb, which sounded great, was written well and read as if a completely different person wrote it:

“Eric Duncan rolls into a quaint Upstate New York town to sell medical supplies. He doesn’t intend to stay long, but an apparently homeless man whom he keeps running into catches his attention. While passersby ignore the man, Eric can’t leave the situation alone. 

Dennis Hayden’s last memory is of hiking in the mountains. He doesn't know how he ended up in town, nor how he keeps popping up in various places. He walks around aimlessly, trying to recall something as simple as his name. He’s not sure what to think of the stranger he sees repeatedly, and who keeps trying to talk to him. 

While meeting a potential client at the hospital, Eric overhears a young lady looking for her brother who went missing several days ago, while hiking. Eric recognizes the picture of Dennis on the flyer and sets out to reunite him with his sister. ”

See what I mean?

-

Back to the 1st person POV. The tricky thing with first person POV – in general, but also in this story – is that you're dropped into a situation halfway through events and expected to understand and know what's happening, but you don't. It's supposed to be a POV that draws you in, but, for me, it does the opposite – it places you in the uncomfortable position of having to be IN a situation that you're supposed to think of as your own life, without any concept of what's happening, who you are or where you are. You could be male, female, blonde, brunette, fat, skinny – and you won't know, until another character points it out, or your character has an attack of ego.

-

Story

In this one, the first page is uncomfortably jarring, impersonal and doesn't feel at all well written. Turn to page two and that all changes. I can see why; page one is the intro to the situation and the character, dealing with the surroundings and people who we'll probably never read about again. Once it gets to page two, the author begins to write more...I want to say casually, but I really just mean in a more familiar way. This is probably because the MC begins to get introduced here, thinking his thoughts, settling into his surroundings and becoming more of a person, rather than just some guy in a dozen.

When our MC (still name less by page 4) finally meets the homeless man mentioned in the blurb, it's a rather curious state of affairs. And I LOVE it! I'm a sucker for mysteries, which was why I wanted to read this book in the first place, but I must admit that the first meeting gave me something of a supernatural/paranormal vibe and somewhat reminded me of an M/F book I'd read a really long time ago. (Forever Blue, by Elodie Parkes, if you're interested.) It has a completely different plot, but similar strange circumstances and the similarity makes me hopeful. Both books are short, ~50 pages, but the M/F was still a 5 star for me and even at this starting point, I had the suspicion that Lifeline would be the same.

There's some really great flirting and chemistry between our MC, Eric, and the homeless man, Dennis, when they finally meet. It really makes Eric a more complete person and more relateable.

Once Eric and Dennis meet, the story progresses quickly. There's a lot of banter, searching, and mystery about how they meet and what it means, especially for Dennis. Then Dennis' sister Sarah enters the story and, again, it progresses quickly. A lot happens, but it doesn't feel rushed or forced.

However, I do think this should have been a novel. So much happened that, by the time we got answers, the rest of the story was basically told in short, half page segments, that glossed over the actual relationship. We don't get a first kiss, first time together or any of the relationship stuff that I'd want or expect in an M/M romance story. I know it's short, but there was plenty of time for that stuff, in one or two chapters at the end. But there was nothing. No physical contact between the two MC's that we, as readers, got to experience, read about and enjoy.

The lack of a plausible relationship dimmed my overall view of this story. Though there were some great moments and good chemistry between the MC's, it never lead anywhere. Not even to a memorable first kiss. Things just happened, once the mystery was solved, and that doesn't satisfy my inner romantic at all.

-

Overall

I'm taking 1 star off because of the choppy sentences, the 1st person POV that was so confusing to begin with and for not knowing my own name (1st person problem) or gender for around 8 pages. The first time we ever know that Eric is a male (disregarding the obvious M/M genre) is when he introduces himself. There is no other hint or suggestion, until then.

I'm taking another ½ star off for the fact that the story feels rushed at the end and the lack of a real relationship between the MC's.

Overall, it was a great short story, with some depth in places and good, likeable characters. But, it was hardly unique in story line. I've seen a similar plot done in both the book I mentioned – Forever Blue – and the movie Just Like Heaven. Unfortunately, though this book did it better than those two, it still isn't a unique plot and the ending took away the 'romantic' factor, for me.

[Heather York · Rating 4 out of 5]

4-1/2 Stars
Brynn Stein's Lifeline may be a short story/novella but its long on heart. Who is Dennis and why does he keep popping up wherever Eric seems to go? What happens when Eric discovers the truth behind Dennis' appearance? All these questions will be answered but not by me😉 There's just so much packed into so few pages that Lifeline makes a great addition to any paranormal library and a definite read for those who love a wonderful story that keeps you on pins and needles. Could it have been better if we got to see a little more behind the characters? Perhaps but truthfully, I loved Lifeline just the way it is, a short read that gives you something to think about as well as entertains.

[Molly Lolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original review on Molly Lolly
Four stars!
This was an interesting story. It was a bit of a surprise where this book went with the ghost thing. However the story is really well written. The book is short and quick. You don’t get to see much of the relationship and how it builds. But you can definitely tell they have strong feelings for each other. There are some things left by the end that you want to know more about. I’m hoping there’s a sequel in the future. I’d love to see more of these two.

[Love Bytes Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Heart Review by Amber

Whoa….this was unexpected…and strange but I see the potential. I was not expecting where this book went but I understood it. What was puzzling were the reactions of the characters throughout the story. When Eric realized what was going on with Dennis there was no hesitation, no disbelief. It was like, oh ok….that makes perfect sense, when it did not.

Another thing that was peculiar was the joking around at odd times. I get comic relief under stressful or scary situations but some of the jokes were timed very badly. During situations that would have been more emotional and meaningful if the jokes didn’t happen.

The instalove aspect was also a bit disconcerting. I think the author was going for 2 people having gone through something major and love developing from that. And again, I get that but the delivery was, well in a word, odd. Everything just happened so fast it was really hard to grasp onto any real emotion.

I want to mention again I think this had potential. This had the possibility to be amazing if it were a little longer and the delivery was changed up. It’s still a very intriguing plot and creative.

This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.

[Queue · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Lifeline was a pleasurable read with several excellent twists. Brynn Stein is bit of a hit or miss with me with a couple books I’ve loved and a couple I’ve disliked. This is one of her better ones for sure.

I don’t want to ruin the twists here but I don’t want to do a spoiler warning either so instead I’m going to rate it and recommend it without getting into the details of the plot.

Eric is a traveling salesman who deals with medical supplies and is used to going from town to town. In a small town he is at a diner when he runs into Dennis, a confused man who mysteriously disappears but seems to pop up wherever he goes. Dennis can’t tell Eric much about himself, but Eric can’t stop thinking about.

Eric learns who Dennis is when he meets Sarah, Dennis’s sister, who says Dennis has been missing for several days. That may seem like it would be the start of the story but it isn’t.

Eric and Dennis form a bond and are attracted to each other but there are several obstacles in their way. I can’t discuss those obstacles, however, without ruining the story.

Suffice it to say the hurdles aren’t small ones and it’s going to take a lot for these two men to get their act together so they can move forward as a couple.

Eric and Dennis were great characters and I loved them both. I cheered at the ending which hinted at a very interesting future for the two of them.

[Neet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet short story about two MC's that meet under strange circumstances.Eric Duncan is a pharmaceutical salesman who happens upon a small town while he's selling his medical supplies.While at a friendly diner he notices how everyone seems to ignore one patron who enters the premises.Eric watches as the disheveled and seemingly homeless man leaves .Eric pays the bill and follows the man intending to give the man half of an unbeaten sandwich and see if he could be of any assistance.The man seems dirty and confused and disappears.Soon Eric begins to see the man in different places,in a conversation he says his name is Dennis Hayden,and he fell.Eric insists on taking the young man to a hospital for treatment and he disappears again.Eric gets worried for Dennis,while at a business appointment,Eric overhears a conversation between a young woman and a receptionist at a hospital front desk.The young woman ,named Sarah is insisting on putting up pictures of her brother who has been missing for several days while hiking.Eric looks at the picture and recognizes Dennis.This is where I will stop.This story has many twists and turns.In the end it is a lovely story and a good short read.

[Andrea Goodell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short tale packs in a lot of information. Which is good.

Eric is a traveling sales man for medical supplies and happens to stop in a diner when he spots a man in distress.

Dennis, the distressed man, is unaware of whats happening but knows something is a foot.

As these two try and figure out what happened they develop a fast friendship, one that Eric see blossoming into something bigger.

This insta love connection really worked for me, I’m a sucker for a knight in shining armor, damsel is distress situation. The only thing I didn’t care for was the choppiness of the time line of healing. I guess what the author was trying to do was make the time period last beyond the smaller page count allowed. But, for me at least the HEA would have been fine with out the time jumps.

With out giving spoilers, I also loved that these two had to work at the relationship but neither one gave up. Even though it was insta because of circumstances, its not intsa perfect.
I was given a copy in exchange for an honest review by Crystals Many reviewers

[Avid Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lifeline by Brynn Stein
3.5 stars
M/M Paranormal
I was given this book for an honest review by Inked Rainbow Reads.

This was a quick, short read that was an insta love story. While I normally don't like this, it was slightly unexpected, but not altogether bad.

I really enjoyed Dennis and Sarah and Eric. They made a funny, sweet trio. I don't know why Bruce was even mentioned in the story - he was very unnecessary.

While it was a VERY short story, it was sweet and wished that there were going to be more to it - developed more.

[Zane Kage · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I love Brynn Stein's writing, and for a shorter read this was pretty good. Had this been a bit longer with more depth, I'd have enjoyed it that much more. I would have loved more of Dennis and Eric!

[Shann Luvs · Rating 3 out of 5]

This read almost like an outline... it seemed rushed and not a lot of time with the characters.... it has possibilities of a good story.

[jules0623 · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars