What do you think?
Rate this book
Cascades
Justice “JB” Bishop tells himself he’s satisfied with life in the small town of Upright, Oregon. He was born and raised there, and has settled into a comfortable, if lonely, routine working at his uncle's bar. JB doesn’t expect anything to change after he turns fifty, until an old friend drops in. She suggests he get out of town for the holidays, and soon JB finds himself on an Amtrak to Canada. JB expected to feel different in Canada, to see things he couldn’t see at home. He never expected to find the one who got away.
57 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 9, 2015
2 people are currently reading
41 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 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 22, 2015
There are times when a dreamy hushed tale is exactly what you need. Now, don’t get me wrong; I love a good heart-racing, blood-pumping, zero to sixty-nine story just as much as the rest of you. But a stormless re-connection tickles my fancy just as much.
Miss Descoteaux takes us on a serene jaunt into the northern country of missed opportunities, demonstrating that lost love can be reclaimed no matter how much time has passed. JB is an ornery man, bitter from grieving his stolen happily ever after. It was Doug, his best friend and true love that disappeared, abandoning him over two decades ago. He robbed him of his happiness that fated day. JB has no answers besides those he’s fabricated to ease his mind. He’s still living the same life, waiting for his return. He will deny it until he’s blue in the face as well as his family jewels, but it’s the truth. Same little town, same little house, same home they shared so much love.
When an old friend makes a less than subtle suggestion that he take a weekend getaway, he boards the train and follows it north hoping for a fun adventure. He certainly didn’t expect to stumble across his long-lost lover and even more shocking is the alarming state he finds him in.
Doug has made some bad choices over the years, but nothing as tragic as leaving JB. He’s been falling ever since the day he ran from his old life and he’s finally hit rock bottom. When he wakes to find JB standing before him, he believes he’s come to rescue him. He is wrong. But maybe, just maybe, they can rescue each other.
I was particularly struck with the gentle prose and smooth writing. A lovely example of two mature men living incomplete lives and finally getting a second chance. Another charming holiday novella about an unexpected rescue mission that results in restored love. This unfinished business has been put to bed.
Great quiet read if you are in the mood.
*4 quiet-sweet-second-chances stars*
Miss Descoteaux takes us on a serene jaunt into the northern country of missed opportunities, demonstrating that lost love can be reclaimed no matter how much time has passed. JB is an ornery man, bitter from grieving his stolen happily ever after. It was Doug, his best friend and true love that disappeared, abandoning him over two decades ago. He robbed him of his happiness that fated day. JB has no answers besides those he’s fabricated to ease his mind. He’s still living the same life, waiting for his return. He will deny it until he’s blue in the face as well as his family jewels, but it’s the truth. Same little town, same little house, same home they shared so much love.
When an old friend makes a less than subtle suggestion that he take a weekend getaway, he boards the train and follows it north hoping for a fun adventure. He certainly didn’t expect to stumble across his long-lost lover and even more shocking is the alarming state he finds him in.
Doug has made some bad choices over the years, but nothing as tragic as leaving JB. He’s been falling ever since the day he ran from his old life and he’s finally hit rock bottom. When he wakes to find JB standing before him, he believes he’s come to rescue him. He is wrong. But maybe, just maybe, they can rescue each other.
I was particularly struck with the gentle prose and smooth writing. A lovely example of two mature men living incomplete lives and finally getting a second chance. Another charming holiday novella about an unexpected rescue mission that results in restored love. This unfinished business has been put to bed.
Great quiet read if you are in the mood.
*4 quiet-sweet-second-chances stars*
December 17, 2015
This story is just so vague :(
The plot, the characters, heck even the idea of the men reuniting, they were all blurry to me. By the end of the book, I still didn't know anything about these men and their relationship. It felt choppy. The writing felt like a "pull-stop" tune, it didn't flow easy. Plus come on, these men had been apart for 20 plus years! Where was the emotion? I didn't feel connected at all with anything. Which was too bad because it had potential; the characters were all in their 50's, it should've been good.
What a waste...
The plot, the characters, heck even the idea of the men reuniting, they were all blurry to me. By the end of the book, I still didn't know anything about these men and their relationship. It felt choppy. The writing felt like a "pull-stop" tune, it didn't flow easy. Plus come on, these men had been apart for 20 plus years! Where was the emotion? I didn't feel connected at all with anything. Which was too bad because it had potential; the characters were all in their 50's, it should've been good.
What a waste...
December 18, 2015
I didn't like this.
December 9, 2015
I can imagine that many readers will like this story quite a lot, sadly I'm not one of them. And as this is the third book in a row by this author that this happened I have to realize - either this author changed her writing or my taste has changed.
Anyway, I think I have to stop buying her books.
Anyway, I think I have to stop buying her books.
July 25, 2021
While I liked the book, it felt like I was reading only part of a story. It was too vague. There was just so much unsaid (and unexplained) that it was sometimes hard to fill in the gaps enough to understand what the heck was going on.
Visit my blog, Sinfully Good Gay Book Reviews
Visit my blog, Sinfully Good Gay Book Reviews
December 16, 2020
I wanted to like this, but it just fell a little flat for me. I realize that shorter stories can have difficulty encompassing all of the back story and depth that a full fleshed novel can do, but it felt like there wasn’t even a hint of it here. JB goes on vacation and finds his ex-Doug living homeless. They reconnect, but there wasn’t any real emotion to make me feel like it was working for them. There also wasn’t a lot of detail for me to really delve into the characters to make me feel like I wanted to root for them. It seemed a bit clunky, unfortunately.
December 13, 2015
I loved the blurb and the premise for this book, but I found the actual story disappointingly underdeveloped. The idea of an older man given a little push from a friend to find and reconnect with the love of his life is wonderfully romantic. JB, a small town bartender, had the potential to be a great leading man. Unfortunately, he remains a vague sketch and never managed to become real for me.
JB’s trip to Canada is described with a sense of awe usually reserved for trips to the Antarctic or Amazon jungle cruises. In this story, Vancouver is an exotic destination full of polite people and pretty boys. As a Vancouver native, I really couldn’t understand the fifty-year old Washington man’s excitement. The last time I was in Seattle, gay men openly held hands and people smoked pot openly. People are friendly in Seattle too. The weather is just as wet and we share the same ocean and mountains. JB’s reaction to Canada really didn’t work for me.
JB’s almost chance meeting with Doug didn’t resonate at all. A shower and a shave are enough to sort out the homeless man’s life. Doug is another rough sketched character that I wanted to learn so much more about. We are fed bits of his life, but I never felt I knew enough about him to care much for him.
The trip back to Washington felt rushed. I struggled to understand the men’s connection and the instant commitment. Surely Doug could have taken the train back to Washington years earlier if it was such a simple decision for him.
I finished this book wishing the story had been developed into a full novel. I wanted to know the men better and I needed to understand their earlier relationship and the reasons for the extended separation. I liked the idea for the book, but the execution felt clumsy and rushed.
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review for Inked Rainbow Reviews.
JB’s trip to Canada is described with a sense of awe usually reserved for trips to the Antarctic or Amazon jungle cruises. In this story, Vancouver is an exotic destination full of polite people and pretty boys. As a Vancouver native, I really couldn’t understand the fifty-year old Washington man’s excitement. The last time I was in Seattle, gay men openly held hands and people smoked pot openly. People are friendly in Seattle too. The weather is just as wet and we share the same ocean and mountains. JB’s reaction to Canada really didn’t work for me.
JB’s almost chance meeting with Doug didn’t resonate at all. A shower and a shave are enough to sort out the homeless man’s life. Doug is another rough sketched character that I wanted to learn so much more about. We are fed bits of his life, but I never felt I knew enough about him to care much for him.
The trip back to Washington felt rushed. I struggled to understand the men’s connection and the instant commitment. Surely Doug could have taken the train back to Washington years earlier if it was such a simple decision for him.
I finished this book wishing the story had been developed into a full novel. I wanted to know the men better and I needed to understand their earlier relationship and the reasons for the extended separation. I liked the idea for the book, but the execution felt clumsy and rushed.
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review for Inked Rainbow Reviews.
January 27, 2016
Reviewed for Prism Book Alliance
Cascades by Charley Descoteaux appealed to my love of second chance romances. That love means I have read a number of them. Unfortunately, Cascades left my little SCR heart in the cold.
For full review see Prism Book Alliance http://www.prismbookalliance.com/?pos...
July 2, 2017
For a holiday story, it's quite miserable. And it lacked background, which made it harder for me to care about the MCs and their story.
April 8, 2021
Charming, warm story set in the Pacific Northwest with a soft plot of reunion. Descoteaux writes lovingly when filling out the characters of JB and Doug, men at the mid-century mark who reconnect after 30 years. Setting in Vancouver (BC) and the backwoods burg of Upright (OR) [and the Amtrak train] are vivid and visual. Equally felt are the longings are heartbreak as they begin to trust one another again.
January 3, 2020
So-so'ish type of second-chance story
December 30, 2015
Cascades
M/M romance
4 stars
I received this book from Inked Rainbow Reads in exchange for an honest review.
This was a story of a second chance at love. It was refreshing to read about older men. How things have changed over the years for gay men was captured in this story. It was a quick read but was complete enough that it made a very nice read.
JB and Doug seemed so different at first but by the end of the story I thought they made a nice couple. I did wish we new more about what happened that caused Doug to leave the first time.
For being a short story I thought it was done nicely.
M/M romance
4 stars
I received this book from Inked Rainbow Reads in exchange for an honest review.
This was a story of a second chance at love. It was refreshing to read about older men. How things have changed over the years for gay men was captured in this story. It was a quick read but was complete enough that it made a very nice read.
JB and Doug seemed so different at first but by the end of the story I thought they made a nice couple. I did wish we new more about what happened that caused Doug to leave the first time.
For being a short story I thought it was done nicely.
February 2, 2017
A fairly quick, shortish second chance read - I do think that the story of Doug and JB before would be good!
JB is nudged into taking a Christmas trip up to Vancouver - and stumbles across old boyfriend Doug, who is living on the streets. The reconnection is quite tentative at first but Doug has had longer to get used to the idea of JB being in his life again.
Because of the short nature, there are some areas I would love to be expanded on and the ending seemed a bit 'oh, its finished' but did like it.
JB is nudged into taking a Christmas trip up to Vancouver - and stumbles across old boyfriend Doug, who is living on the streets. The reconnection is quite tentative at first but Doug has had longer to get used to the idea of JB being in his life again.
Because of the short nature, there are some areas I would love to be expanded on and the ending seemed a bit 'oh, its finished' but did like it.
January 6, 2016
1.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews