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Pride and Joy #1
September
a Pride and Joy novel
David James is smart, successful, handsome… and alone. After the death of his lover, Kyle, from cancer, he buried himself in his law practice and the gym. At forty-eight, he is haunted by his memories and walled off from the world. When David injures himself working out, he’s assigned to Brandon Smith for physical therapy. The vibrant young therapist is attracted to David and realizes he needs a hand to get back into dating. What begins as a practice coffee date escalates to friendship, passion, and maybe something more, as they navigate a new relationship in Washington, DC, and the gay mecca of Provincetown.
But David remains trapped behind the barrier of fear and guilt. Will he remain loyal to Kyle’s memory if he moves on? Can he and Brandon manage a twenty-two-year age gap? Brandon thinks he understands David’s concerns, and for him, the answer to those questions is yes. He wants to be with David, and he believes he can overcome David’s barriers. But Brandon fails to account for the world’s reaction to a handsome young man attached to an older, wealthy lover. David’s memories, Brandon’s pride, and an unexpected tragedy might cost them something very special.
David James is smart, successful, handsome… and alone. After the death of his lover, Kyle, from cancer, he buried himself in his law practice and the gym. At forty-eight, he is haunted by his memories and walled off from the world. When David injures himself working out, he’s assigned to Brandon Smith for physical therapy. The vibrant young therapist is attracted to David and realizes he needs a hand to get back into dating. What begins as a practice coffee date escalates to friendship, passion, and maybe something more, as they navigate a new relationship in Washington, DC, and the gay mecca of Provincetown.
But David remains trapped behind the barrier of fear and guilt. Will he remain loyal to Kyle’s memory if he moves on? Can he and Brandon manage a twenty-two-year age gap? Brandon thinks he understands David’s concerns, and for him, the answer to those questions is yes. He wants to be with David, and he believes he can overcome David’s barriers. But Brandon fails to account for the world’s reaction to a handsome young man attached to an older, wealthy lover. David’s memories, Brandon’s pride, and an unexpected tragedy might cost them something very special.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 9, 2016
55 people are currently reading
743 people want to read
About the author
Robert Winter
19 books351 followersRobert Winter is a recovering lawyer who likes writing about hot men in love much more than drafting a legal brief. Once upon a time, he went to Georgetown University law school. Upon graduation, he moved to New York to work in a large law firm, but later returned to Washington, DC. The legal work was entertaining and Robert spent a lot of time in bankruptcy court, usually representing either groups of creditor or the debtors themselves. But legal work didn’t satisfy the urge Robert felt to tell stories.
When he turned 50, Robert left behind the (allegedly) glamorous world of international law firms and bankruptcy court to pursue his real passion. Now he spends time with his husband in Montreal, QC.
When Robert isn’t writing, he loves to cook Indian food. The aromas of the spice blends excite and challenge him. Although he’s never been to India, the food seems comforting and home-like. Add a trip to the Golden Triangle to the bucket list!
When he turned 50, Robert left behind the (allegedly) glamorous world of international law firms and bankruptcy court to pursue his real passion. Now he spends time with his husband in Montreal, QC.
When Robert isn’t writing, he loves to cook Indian food. The aromas of the spice blends excite and challenge him. Although he’s never been to India, the food seems comforting and home-like. Add a trip to the Golden Triangle to the bucket list!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 199 reviews
May 14, 2017
~4.5~
Get out the tissues, because this one's a sob fest. I can't remember the last time I cried so hard while reading a book. Maybe I was feeling particularly maudlin, but this story ripped out my heart and stomped on it for good measure.
September is Robert Winter's first book, and it is exceptionally well written, with complex character, a relationship-driven plot, plenty of steamy times, and a beautiful HEA.
David, a successful lawyer, is 48 and feels used up. His friend Terry tells him he's hot as sin, but David hasn't dated for nearly twenty years and is still mourning the death of his partner, Kyle, who passed away two years prior. Having torn his rotator cuff in crossfit, David seeks out physical therapy where he meets the much younger Brandon.
Brandon loves helping people recover; he's fit, talks with a light Texas drawl, and is good with his hands. When he meets David, it's lust at first sight, especially when David takes his shirt off. Brandon can't help but flirt with the gorgeous silver fox, even if David is his client.
David and Brandon meet for coffee, which leads to sex (sizzle, baby!), which leads to more. The problem is that Brandon, who is barely scraping by what with student loans and other debt, doesn't want to feel like a kept man. David is selfless and giving, but he's vaguely ashamed of having such a young lover.
The first half of the book isn't overly angsty. David misses Kyle, but his grief feels appropriate and doesn't overwhelm the story. He's ready to find love again. The passion between the men is at once frantic and tender. These two go at it hot and heavy. They are both, um, versatile, and David has no trouble keeping up with Brandon.
But it's not that easy. David is the most amazing human being, but even the best people make mistakes. And David's mistake costs him dearly. Brandon is hurt and angry, and has every right to be.
At this point, I thought the angst had hit rock bottom. But I was wrong. I was so wrong. A tragedy strikes, one I didn't see coming (I really hope no one gives this plot point away in a review). Fortunately, it brings the men together, and David never leaves Brandon's side.
In the end, it's Kyle (yes, David's dead lover) who saves the day. More heartbreak, more tears, and then finally, finally peace and joy.
If you like the hurt/comfort trope, you'll love this book. The men heal each other and find real love based on sexual chemistry, yes, but also friendship. They love to cook together. They share common interests. They just fit. And they work through their loss and pain and grief to find a home, a place where they both belong.
This is not a light, easy story. It's tinged with sadness and heartache, but once you crawl through the darkness, the light is that much brighter.
Get out the tissues, because this one's a sob fest. I can't remember the last time I cried so hard while reading a book. Maybe I was feeling particularly maudlin, but this story ripped out my heart and stomped on it for good measure.
September is Robert Winter's first book, and it is exceptionally well written, with complex character, a relationship-driven plot, plenty of steamy times, and a beautiful HEA.
David, a successful lawyer, is 48 and feels used up. His friend Terry tells him he's hot as sin, but David hasn't dated for nearly twenty years and is still mourning the death of his partner, Kyle, who passed away two years prior. Having torn his rotator cuff in crossfit, David seeks out physical therapy where he meets the much younger Brandon.
Brandon loves helping people recover; he's fit, talks with a light Texas drawl, and is good with his hands. When he meets David, it's lust at first sight, especially when David takes his shirt off. Brandon can't help but flirt with the gorgeous silver fox, even if David is his client.
David and Brandon meet for coffee, which leads to sex (sizzle, baby!), which leads to more. The problem is that Brandon, who is barely scraping by what with student loans and other debt, doesn't want to feel like a kept man. David is selfless and giving, but he's vaguely ashamed of having such a young lover.
The first half of the book isn't overly angsty. David misses Kyle, but his grief feels appropriate and doesn't overwhelm the story. He's ready to find love again. The passion between the men is at once frantic and tender. These two go at it hot and heavy. They are both, um, versatile, and David has no trouble keeping up with Brandon.
But it's not that easy. David is the most amazing human being, but even the best people make mistakes. And David's mistake costs him dearly. Brandon is hurt and angry, and has every right to be.
At this point, I thought the angst had hit rock bottom. But I was wrong. I was so wrong. A tragedy strikes, one I didn't see coming (I really hope no one gives this plot point away in a review). Fortunately, it brings the men together, and David never leaves Brandon's side.
In the end, it's Kyle (yes, David's dead lover) who saves the day. More heartbreak, more tears, and then finally, finally peace and joy.
If you like the hurt/comfort trope, you'll love this book. The men heal each other and find real love based on sexual chemistry, yes, but also friendship. They love to cook together. They share common interests. They just fit. And they work through their loss and pain and grief to find a home, a place where they both belong.
This is not a light, easy story. It's tinged with sadness and heartache, but once you crawl through the darkness, the light is that much brighter.
November 19, 2016
This is an amazing story - David & Brandon are two characters who are brought together by chance, learn to love each other despite the age gap, and their love story is one of kind and transcends age, wealth, and injury - a true story of learning to love again and of taking chances!
When you vow to love someone till death do you part, what happens when you are the one left alive and alone, trying to pick up the pieces of your life and learn to live again? Do you dare to hope that you might find love again? Are you being unfaithful to your deceased lover if you go out on dates? How can you bring a new lover into the bed you shared with another for almost 20 years - is it worth it to try again? These are all questions that our MC David has to face. David knows he has to either work to overcome all of his fears and feelings of betraying his deceased partner, Kyle, or he will spend the rest of his life alone. When an injury brings him to physical therapy- he quickly realizes a torn rotator cuff may not be the only thing his therapist is mending.
Brandon is a young physical therapist new to the D.C. area, a transplant from Texas. He is deep in student loan debt, isn't a stranger to Ramen noodles, loves being active and playing sports; and while he isn't averse to the occasional Grindr or Scruff hookup he really wants to find someone to settle down with and build a life. When he first sees his newest patient, a sexy, distinguished, middle-aged man with a body to die for and if the bulge in the jeans are correct he has D for days..Brandon is awed. When he finds out that David plays for his team and is single, a widower .. well, he decides he will help David, the sexy man he quickly nicknames Cowboy - get back on the horse - and help him get over his fear of asking someone out. Yes, Brandon volunteers to be his practice date. What starts as coffee between therapist and patient quickly detours to a tour of David's house and some hot action.
From there it's all about learning to communicate, letting go of the past, being strong enough to love each other, and getting over other people's perception of them as a couple due to the 20+ year age gap. Then when life throws them lemons - the two have to decide to either walk away or love each other harder. As Brandon struggles to accept all that David offers some help comes from the least likely of people that puts everything in perspective.
This is the first story I have read by author Robert Winter and I cannot wait to read more.. his writing and storytelling ability if brilliant and the characters are full of emotion, their plight and struggles real.
I loved this story and I highly recommend it to all!
5 Stars!
When you vow to love someone till death do you part, what happens when you are the one left alive and alone, trying to pick up the pieces of your life and learn to live again? Do you dare to hope that you might find love again? Are you being unfaithful to your deceased lover if you go out on dates? How can you bring a new lover into the bed you shared with another for almost 20 years - is it worth it to try again? These are all questions that our MC David has to face. David knows he has to either work to overcome all of his fears and feelings of betraying his deceased partner, Kyle, or he will spend the rest of his life alone. When an injury brings him to physical therapy- he quickly realizes a torn rotator cuff may not be the only thing his therapist is mending.
Brandon is a young physical therapist new to the D.C. area, a transplant from Texas. He is deep in student loan debt, isn't a stranger to Ramen noodles, loves being active and playing sports; and while he isn't averse to the occasional Grindr or Scruff hookup he really wants to find someone to settle down with and build a life. When he first sees his newest patient, a sexy, distinguished, middle-aged man with a body to die for and if the bulge in the jeans are correct he has D for days..Brandon is awed. When he finds out that David plays for his team and is single, a widower .. well, he decides he will help David, the sexy man he quickly nicknames Cowboy - get back on the horse - and help him get over his fear of asking someone out. Yes, Brandon volunteers to be his practice date. What starts as coffee between therapist and patient quickly detours to a tour of David's house and some hot action.
From there it's all about learning to communicate, letting go of the past, being strong enough to love each other, and getting over other people's perception of them as a couple due to the 20+ year age gap. Then when life throws them lemons - the two have to decide to either walk away or love each other harder. As Brandon struggles to accept all that David offers some help comes from the least likely of people that puts everything in perspective.
This is the first story I have read by author Robert Winter and I cannot wait to read more.. his writing and storytelling ability if brilliant and the characters are full of emotion, their plight and struggles real.
I loved this story and I highly recommend it to all!
5 Stars!
March 29, 2018
I think I never had a book before that I would look back on and not know whether I liked it or not.
I just finished the epilogue though and still have tears in my eyes, so I'll do my best to review the story objectively. Because that ending was definitely awesome.
A very short summary of my feelings for the WHOLE story would be:
The first 10%:
I didn't like it.
We meet David, a widower who is lonely and doesn't do much except exhaust himself doing CrossFit (which I never heard of but seems to be some sort of intense gym routine). Of course, being in his late 40s, his physical exhaustion leads to a shoulder injury and he needs to get physical therapy.
With Brandon. A physical therapist. We get to know David and Brandon and their friends a bit here too.
In one sentence, I found the beginning flat and boring, plus I disliked ALL of their friends and stopped reading twice right when the free kindle sample ended.
The first half of the book:
I warmed a bit to it.
The third quarter of the book:
I was surprised to see how badly this romance was going to hell....
The last quarter of the book :
OMG, I liked that one a lot! It didn't save the romance for me, but it had one of the guys go through hell. The circumstances are so life shattering that even though I hardly found an emotional connection to these guys throughout the story, this event really touched me. I felt deeply sorry for the poor guy.
However, the fact that it takes such an incident for the guys to find back together leaves a bit of a bad taste for me.
And as touching as the letter was at the end, it seems that Brandon and David are somehow unable to make it together without the help of either a tragedy or a friend/brother/dead lover (!!). It's a silly thought, but I did get the impression that they're not made for each other, unless *something* talks them into being together.
The pros:
- I like age gap stories. I like guys finding love even while they're in different stages of their lives, with different experiences and outlooks on life.
- I liked Brandon at the beginning and loved him very much at the end. He was a decent guy with a hairy chest (big plus) who (and I quote one of the bad guys in the story) looks like a Kindergarten teacher - which in my book means he's cute. His struggles later on were believable and his fate touched me.
- David's past with Kyle. I liked the fact that he was a widower who had a life and a past with someone else and still loves Kyle, even though he loves Brandon now too - which is kinda mind boggling, but I liked that dynamic a lot.
-The drama in the final quarter of the book. I did not see it coming in this dimension and I was surprised by the courage it must take to do this to a character. It touched me deeply, so it's definitely a pro.
The cons:
-Mostly David. He never grew on me, never seemed to let anyone look inside his heart. Sure we learn a lot about how great, loving, giving he is, but when it's his POV, the story just drifts.
I didn't like the way he sometimes compared his love for Kyle with his love for Brandon, claiming that his feelings for Brandon run so much deeper (which is nice for the romance with Brandon, but kinda sheds a bad light on his years with Kyle..)
-I also don't forgive David for saying that he's been with a woman for a month, enjoyed the sex, but a 'pregnancy scare' made him settle with guys permanently. I mean, that's so insulting. So he's basically bi, but ignores women because they can get pregnant???
-Their friends. OMG, these sets of friends are literally the worst in the history of romance. Ethan is an evil jerk who just wants to hurt Brandon, so why are they friends in the first place??
Joe and Terry are nice guys, but they're an age gap couple with an open relationship where Joe (the older one) enjoys listening to the stories of Terry's hook-ups. This really felt off. It might be realistic (there are probably many such couples in real life), but it doesn't have a place in the romance books I like to read. I had enough of that in Special Forces, thank you very much, LOL.
And of course Gerald and his clique, one of Kyle's friends, who keeps a rent boy around until he tires of him and replaces him (and god, that boy, Rudy, was a real cliché: Dumb as a light post and hoping to squeeze one more summer in luxury out of the relationship, before Gerald ditches him. What a life...).
Gerald treats Brandon like a rent boy too, which hurts poor Brandon badly. Gerald actually makes me wonder about Kyle, because Kyle didn't seem to be the type of man to be friends with such a set of idiots.
-David and Kyle's joke that if one of them dies, the other will have a trust fund to keep a harem of rent boys around. This joke made David seem so bad and dumb that it tipped me from not warming up to him to not liking him at all....
- The sex. There was too much. Simply too much sex.
And at some point it got so outrageously overdone that I had to laugh reading it.
- The jealousy. Jealousy is an ugly thing. Especially in a gay club or at a dinner party. A little jealousy might be appropriate to show your lover you care about him, but the constant thoughts of 'He's touching him? Over my dead body!' made the whole thing seem like a cartoon.
-Buttered toast. LOL. Let's put that on the cons list too.
So yeah, unfortunately this story doesn't get a very high rating from me, even though it kept me interested. I like the general idea of this book, but not the way it was executed. I wish we had gotten a more personal access to David. Somehow, I never connected with him at all. Brandon was much more approachable as a character, if that makes sense.
But still, the ending is a tearjerker and gets one extra star.
4 stars!
I just finished the epilogue though and still have tears in my eyes, so I'll do my best to review the story objectively. Because that ending was definitely awesome.
A very short summary of my feelings for the WHOLE story would be:
The first 10%:
I didn't like it.
We meet David, a widower who is lonely and doesn't do much except exhaust himself doing CrossFit (which I never heard of but seems to be some sort of intense gym routine). Of course, being in his late 40s, his physical exhaustion leads to a shoulder injury and he needs to get physical therapy.
With Brandon. A physical therapist. We get to know David and Brandon and their friends a bit here too.
In one sentence, I found the beginning flat and boring, plus I disliked ALL of their friends and stopped reading twice right when the free kindle sample ended.
The first half of the book:
I warmed a bit to it.
The third quarter of the book:
I was surprised to see how badly this romance was going to hell....
The last quarter of the book :
OMG, I liked that one a lot! It didn't save the romance for me, but it had one of the guys go through hell. The circumstances are so life shattering that even though I hardly found an emotional connection to these guys throughout the story, this event really touched me. I felt deeply sorry for the poor guy.
However, the fact that it takes such an incident for the guys to find back together leaves a bit of a bad taste for me.
And as touching as the letter was at the end, it seems that Brandon and David are somehow unable to make it together without the help of either a tragedy or a friend/brother/dead lover (!!). It's a silly thought, but I did get the impression that they're not made for each other, unless *something* talks them into being together.
The pros:
- I like age gap stories. I like guys finding love even while they're in different stages of their lives, with different experiences and outlooks on life.
- I liked Brandon at the beginning and loved him very much at the end. He was a decent guy with a hairy chest (big plus) who (and I quote one of the bad guys in the story) looks like a Kindergarten teacher - which in my book means he's cute. His struggles later on were believable and his fate touched me.
- David's past with Kyle. I liked the fact that he was a widower who had a life and a past with someone else and still loves Kyle, even though he loves Brandon now too - which is kinda mind boggling, but I liked that dynamic a lot.
-The drama in the final quarter of the book. I did not see it coming in this dimension and I was surprised by the courage it must take to do this to a character. It touched me deeply, so it's definitely a pro.
The cons:
-Mostly David. He never grew on me, never seemed to let anyone look inside his heart. Sure we learn a lot about how great, loving, giving he is, but when it's his POV, the story just drifts.
I didn't like the way he sometimes compared his love for Kyle with his love for Brandon, claiming that his feelings for Brandon run so much deeper (which is nice for the romance with Brandon, but kinda sheds a bad light on his years with Kyle..)
-I also don't forgive David for saying that he's been with a woman for a month, enjoyed the sex, but a 'pregnancy scare' made him settle with guys permanently. I mean, that's so insulting. So he's basically bi, but ignores women because they can get pregnant???
-Their friends. OMG, these sets of friends are literally the worst in the history of romance. Ethan is an evil jerk who just wants to hurt Brandon, so why are they friends in the first place??
Joe and Terry are nice guys, but they're an age gap couple with an open relationship where Joe (the older one) enjoys listening to the stories of Terry's hook-ups. This really felt off. It might be realistic (there are probably many such couples in real life), but it doesn't have a place in the romance books I like to read. I had enough of that in Special Forces, thank you very much, LOL.
And of course Gerald and his clique, one of Kyle's friends, who keeps a rent boy around until he tires of him and replaces him (and god, that boy, Rudy, was a real cliché: Dumb as a light post and hoping to squeeze one more summer in luxury out of the relationship, before Gerald ditches him. What a life...).
Gerald treats Brandon like a rent boy too, which hurts poor Brandon badly. Gerald actually makes me wonder about Kyle, because Kyle didn't seem to be the type of man to be friends with such a set of idiots.
-David and Kyle's joke that if one of them dies, the other will have a trust fund to keep a harem of rent boys around. This joke made David seem so bad and dumb that it tipped me from not warming up to him to not liking him at all....
- The sex. There was too much. Simply too much sex.
And at some point it got so outrageously overdone that I had to laugh reading it.
- The jealousy. Jealousy is an ugly thing. Especially in a gay club or at a dinner party. A little jealousy might be appropriate to show your lover you care about him, but the constant thoughts of 'He's touching him? Over my dead body!' made the whole thing seem like a cartoon.
-Buttered toast. LOL. Let's put that on the cons list too.
So yeah, unfortunately this story doesn't get a very high rating from me, even though it kept me interested. I like the general idea of this book, but not the way it was executed. I wish we had gotten a more personal access to David. Somehow, I never connected with him at all. Brandon was much more approachable as a character, if that makes sense.
But still, the ending is a tearjerker and gets one extra star.
4 stars!
December 18, 2016
4.5
Auspicious Debut
It took me a long time to understand the title of Jane Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice because I thought both Darcy and Elizabeth were prideful. It wasn't until later that I understood the prejudices are societal. I'm not sure if the author intended September as a modern day reimagining of that classic but I couldn't help noticing the similarities.
David and Brandon each struggle with their pride when faced with those same societal prejudices Austen used. David is significantly older and established in his career as an attorney. He is well off and a generous soul. Money largely means he can help out his loved ones, but the thought of others believing him to be Brandon's sugar daddy is more than he can bear so he keeps telling himself that their relationship has an expiration date. Because Brandon couldn't possibly be interested in and/or attracted to a man 22 yrs his senior.
Brandon is effervescent, an audacious flirt, gregarious and struggling to make ends meet as a physical therapist. He'd rather gargle broken glass than take a hand out though. He may be broke but he's got enough to have a life that he's satisfied with at the moment. He has dreams of owning his own clinic some day, but he wants to earn it for himself.
There may be a significant age difference between them and echoes of a deceased beloved lover and a truckload of pride between the two of them, but their chemistry is off the charts. Every time they're together I could almost hear the crackling between them. I'm surprised my poor kindle didn't combust on me while reading the sex scenes. I honestly think it might even be illegal for a reader to be as wound up as I got. When I say they are hot like burning... something was burning alright. Mostly me.
When they get out of their own heads, let their guards down and let go of their insecurities they have fun together; they talk and have meaningful conversations. They have differences and commonalities but more than anything else they connect. I don't think I've ever connected as quickly with two MCs as I did David and Brandon. They're just so... real. Everything about their story and characterizations were relatable and I invested almost immediately.
I have a feeling people will cite the tedium of daily life contained in this narrative and they may have a point. I felt like I really and truly got to know both of them through all those conversations and banalities. Being inside both of their heads and seeing the other person through their eyes added depth and emotionality. Some may say that Brandon seems much older and wiser than his 26 yrs but he's been through a lot. The tread is worn on those tires. Plus, he's from Texas (and read authentically Texan) so... maybe I'm biased. Others might say that the back and forth between them was excessive and dramatic and they may have a point too, but in my experience the fundamentals that make up a person are not easily altered and definitely not over the course of a few weeks. Obviously, I noticed these things too otherwise I wouldn't be mentioning them, but the simple truth is this book consumed me for two days. Every free moment I had was spent glued to my kindle, so I can only deduct a half heart because I loved this story from start to finish in spite or maybe because of these "flaws".
Winter's writing style is straightforward. There aren't a lot of bells and whistles, but three things stood out-it's clear he gets romance, character development and dialogue. Both of these characters are fully realized. They communicate their feelings in realistic ways and each of their nuances were captured superbly. Neither are reluctant to tell the other know how attracted they are to the other and as their relationship evolves neither have any qualms about letting the other know how strong their feelings are. It was a delight to read two men who are so honest with not only each other but themselves.
The secondary characters all played their roles well. Some of their so called friends are vile. With friends like that who needs enemies? Others are gold. Pure gold. I'll admit I was a bit disappointed when I read the preview of the next book and discovered it wasn't going to be about Colin, but I will send good thoughts that he will find someone worthy of him.
Lastly, I fully expected my face to leak while reading September and there were a couple of lump in the throat moments, but it's not a weep reaping book, or it wasn't to me. Sure David and Brandon have their ups and downs, their joys and miseries but that's life. Life's messy and ugly sometimes but it's also wonderful and fun and uplifting and all of that was captured. Each of these men have to find the courage to reach out and hold on to what makes life beautiful and meaningful for them and that's each other. When it comes right down to it, after boiling off all the detritus that's what September is about-two men finding the courage to overcome their pride, finding and holding onto love despite other people's prejudices. I think that's something everyone can at least partially identify with and what makes this trope quintessentially classic.
Recommend to all MM romance fans.
A review copy was provided by the publisher.
Auspicious Debut
It took me a long time to understand the title of Jane Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice because I thought both Darcy and Elizabeth were prideful. It wasn't until later that I understood the prejudices are societal. I'm not sure if the author intended September as a modern day reimagining of that classic but I couldn't help noticing the similarities.
David and Brandon each struggle with their pride when faced with those same societal prejudices Austen used. David is significantly older and established in his career as an attorney. He is well off and a generous soul. Money largely means he can help out his loved ones, but the thought of others believing him to be Brandon's sugar daddy is more than he can bear so he keeps telling himself that their relationship has an expiration date. Because Brandon couldn't possibly be interested in and/or attracted to a man 22 yrs his senior.
Brandon is effervescent, an audacious flirt, gregarious and struggling to make ends meet as a physical therapist. He'd rather gargle broken glass than take a hand out though. He may be broke but he's got enough to have a life that he's satisfied with at the moment. He has dreams of owning his own clinic some day, but he wants to earn it for himself.
There may be a significant age difference between them and echoes of a deceased beloved lover and a truckload of pride between the two of them, but their chemistry is off the charts. Every time they're together I could almost hear the crackling between them. I'm surprised my poor kindle didn't combust on me while reading the sex scenes. I honestly think it might even be illegal for a reader to be as wound up as I got. When I say they are hot like burning... something was burning alright. Mostly me.
When they get out of their own heads, let their guards down and let go of their insecurities they have fun together; they talk and have meaningful conversations. They have differences and commonalities but more than anything else they connect. I don't think I've ever connected as quickly with two MCs as I did David and Brandon. They're just so... real. Everything about their story and characterizations were relatable and I invested almost immediately.
I have a feeling people will cite the tedium of daily life contained in this narrative and they may have a point. I felt like I really and truly got to know both of them through all those conversations and banalities. Being inside both of their heads and seeing the other person through their eyes added depth and emotionality. Some may say that Brandon seems much older and wiser than his 26 yrs but he's been through a lot. The tread is worn on those tires. Plus, he's from Texas (and read authentically Texan) so... maybe I'm biased. Others might say that the back and forth between them was excessive and dramatic and they may have a point too, but in my experience the fundamentals that make up a person are not easily altered and definitely not over the course of a few weeks. Obviously, I noticed these things too otherwise I wouldn't be mentioning them, but the simple truth is this book consumed me for two days. Every free moment I had was spent glued to my kindle, so I can only deduct a half heart because I loved this story from start to finish in spite or maybe because of these "flaws".
Winter's writing style is straightforward. There aren't a lot of bells and whistles, but three things stood out-it's clear he gets romance, character development and dialogue. Both of these characters are fully realized. They communicate their feelings in realistic ways and each of their nuances were captured superbly. Neither are reluctant to tell the other know how attracted they are to the other and as their relationship evolves neither have any qualms about letting the other know how strong their feelings are. It was a delight to read two men who are so honest with not only each other but themselves.
The secondary characters all played their roles well. Some of their so called friends are vile. With friends like that who needs enemies? Others are gold. Pure gold. I'll admit I was a bit disappointed when I read the preview of the next book and discovered it wasn't going to be about Colin, but I will send good thoughts that he will find someone worthy of him.
Lastly, I fully expected my face to leak while reading September and there were a couple of lump in the throat moments, but it's not a weep reaping book, or it wasn't to me. Sure David and Brandon have their ups and downs, their joys and miseries but that's life. Life's messy and ugly sometimes but it's also wonderful and fun and uplifting and all of that was captured. Each of these men have to find the courage to reach out and hold on to what makes life beautiful and meaningful for them and that's each other. When it comes right down to it, after boiling off all the detritus that's what September is about-two men finding the courage to overcome their pride, finding and holding onto love despite other people's prejudices. I think that's something everyone can at least partially identify with and what makes this trope quintessentially classic.
Recommend to all MM romance fans.
A review copy was provided by the publisher.
April 2, 2018
***2.5 - 3 Stars*** rounded up because of the last 25%
I wanted to love this book, but sadly I couldn't and I'm really really sorry...
Well, this won't go over well anyway, so I'll try to make it short. Reading this story was like riding a sine wave. At full speed. Everytime I thought now I could enjoy it to the fullest, something happened that made me either want to throw my kindle or roll my eyes.
I'll forego a summary since I'm late to this party anyway and there are other reviews out there that explained everything perfectly.
I did some kind of backwards thingy because the author's debut novel was actually my third read by him and pretty much the one I liked least of all. Don't get me wrong, there were things I really liked, such as David's way of coping with his grief for his dead lover. I'm not 100% sure about his inner dialogue with Kyle, on the one hand it was charming, on the other hand a bit weird, since he actually got 'answers', but I guess when you are together for 15 years you know somebody inside and out and just know how he would react. I liked David anyway, maybe because I have a penchant for guys who are talking to their cats which I find totally adorable and I liked how he handled Brandon.
Brandon, on the other hand, was a bit harder for me to like, at least at the beginning. For me, he sometimes had a bit of a condescending and derogatory attitude towards other people and I wanted to shake him when he referred to others as 'fat' or 'some lesbians'. Sorry, Brandon, but that's not nice!
I loved their sexting and their banter in general and I really enjoyed the ending. Although it was a bit late to save the whole story for me, the plot twist at round about 75% was devastating and made me really feel for both men.
As to what I didn't like... I'm not a fan of age-gap, at least not one with 22 years, but even I got annoyed about how the author dealt with it here. It felt like an ad that no way in hell would it work out, until it actually did in the end and both men got their HEA. The whole I'm-too-old-for-him/he-is-too-rich-for-me thing got pretty old after a while. I mean, I get doubts and I get pride, but their inner monologues but not talking about it frustrated the hell out of me. For me, there's a big lack of trust, but how can you love somebody when you don't trust him? All in all, their relationship felt more like it was based on hormones (which went into overdrive, I can tell you!) than on real feelings.
Since I already knew two of his other books, I can admit that I have a bit of a problem regarding the author's writing style. It's sometimes a bit too sappy and antiquated for me (God bless Joe's heart - he's a side character I already knew from Every Breath You Take and I really like him, but who the hell talks like this in real life???) and I definitely don't like the author's graphic descriptions in regards to the male anatomy. Comparing a dick with a leaking faucet or somebody's balls with lemons hanging down below that tree branch of a cock is NOT sexy, IMO. I was torn between an inward cringe and an outward laugh, in the end it was probably both with an added heavy eye-roll.
Speaking of eye-roll... There is one sex scene in this book I still can't wrap my head around.
Umm, any volunteers to show me that it can work? No? Well, I can't blame you, it sounds painful...
I will still read the next book in this series, since I really liked Colin, who was already introduced here and who will be one of the two MCs in Asylum, the blurb sounds interesting aaaaand... we are doing a buddy read for this book, so even more to look forward to.
I wanted to love this book, but sadly I couldn't and I'm really really sorry...
Well, this won't go over well anyway, so I'll try to make it short. Reading this story was like riding a sine wave. At full speed. Everytime I thought now I could enjoy it to the fullest, something happened that made me either want to throw my kindle or roll my eyes.
I'll forego a summary since I'm late to this party anyway and there are other reviews out there that explained everything perfectly.
I did some kind of backwards thingy because the author's debut novel was actually my third read by him and pretty much the one I liked least of all. Don't get me wrong, there were things I really liked, such as David's way of coping with his grief for his dead lover. I'm not 100% sure about his inner dialogue with Kyle, on the one hand it was charming, on the other hand a bit weird, since he actually got 'answers', but I guess when you are together for 15 years you know somebody inside and out and just know how he would react. I liked David anyway, maybe because I have a penchant for guys who are talking to their cats which I find totally adorable and I liked how he handled Brandon.
Brandon, on the other hand, was a bit harder for me to like, at least at the beginning. For me, he sometimes had a bit of a condescending and derogatory attitude towards other people and I wanted to shake him when he referred to others as 'fat' or 'some lesbians'. Sorry, Brandon, but that's not nice!
I loved their sexting and their banter in general and I really enjoyed the ending. Although it was a bit late to save the whole story for me, the plot twist at round about 75% was devastating and made me really feel for both men.
As to what I didn't like... I'm not a fan of age-gap, at least not one with 22 years, but even I got annoyed about how the author dealt with it here. It felt like an ad that no way in hell would it work out, until it actually did in the end and both men got their HEA. The whole I'm-too-old-for-him/he-is-too-rich-for-me thing got pretty old after a while. I mean, I get doubts and I get pride, but their inner monologues but not talking about it frustrated the hell out of me. For me, there's a big lack of trust, but how can you love somebody when you don't trust him? All in all, their relationship felt more like it was based on hormones (which went into overdrive, I can tell you!) than on real feelings.
Since I already knew two of his other books, I can admit that I have a bit of a problem regarding the author's writing style. It's sometimes a bit too sappy and antiquated for me (God bless Joe's heart - he's a side character I already knew from Every Breath You Take and I really like him, but who the hell talks like this in real life???) and I definitely don't like the author's graphic descriptions in regards to the male anatomy. Comparing a dick with a leaking faucet or somebody's balls with lemons hanging down below that tree branch of a cock is NOT sexy, IMO. I was torn between an inward cringe and an outward laugh, in the end it was probably both with an added heavy eye-roll.
Speaking of eye-roll... There is one sex scene in this book I still can't wrap my head around.
David twisted his body so he was still buried inside but he could reach Brandon's cock as it started to erupt. David opened his mouth wide and caught as much come as he could. Then he lowered farther to take Brandon's cock into his mouth and swallow every bit of his load.
Umm, any volunteers to show me that it can work? No? Well, I can't blame you, it sounds painful...
I will still read the next book in this series, since I really liked Colin, who was already introduced here and who will be one of the two MCs in Asylum, the blurb sounds interesting aaaaand... we are doing a buddy read for this book, so even more to look forward to.
May 30, 2017
Anyone who knows my reading tastes knows I hate reading a story that makes me cry.
This book had me bawling my eyes out.
Why did I read it? Because it didn't start out that way. In fact, it didn't even get terribly angsty until about 70%. By then I was too bought in to walk away. So when I got blindsided by the last 20% there was nothing left to do other than grab a big box of tissues.
So, about the book.
This is a character driven romance plot. There is a 22 year age gap between the MCs. This is one of their major obstacles for the first 2/3 of the book. It's nothing short of impressive how realistically this "problem" is detailed. We feel each man's internal struggle. We wade through the morass of society's expectations. We see how those expectations guide and rule our lives.
I was fascinated by the story. I didn't want to put the book down at all.
We hit the heartbreaking climax at about 70%. I remember looking down and wondering how the story still had so much more to go. I thought we just needed a resolution and 'tada', beautiful love story.
But, oh no, Robert Winter wasn't done with us yet. Some will say he left the best for last. I say he gave us a sneaky, evil plot twist to shred our hearts. *narrow eyed glare at Mr. Winter*
It's a beautiful, if rather heartbreaking, story. The only thing I wasn't fond of was the "Texas accent". I have to make an allowance for that because I'm from Texas so I'm bound to be picky about our accent.
I can't help myself. I simply have to give September 5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 (minus a box of tissues).
This book was provided by the author via IndiGo Marketing & Design in exchange for an honest review.
This book had me bawling my eyes out.
Why did I read it? Because it didn't start out that way. In fact, it didn't even get terribly angsty until about 70%. By then I was too bought in to walk away. So when I got blindsided by the last 20% there was nothing left to do other than grab a big box of tissues.
So, about the book.
This is a character driven romance plot. There is a 22 year age gap between the MCs. This is one of their major obstacles for the first 2/3 of the book. It's nothing short of impressive how realistically this "problem" is detailed. We feel each man's internal struggle. We wade through the morass of society's expectations. We see how those expectations guide and rule our lives.
I was fascinated by the story. I didn't want to put the book down at all.
We hit the heartbreaking climax at about 70%. I remember looking down and wondering how the story still had so much more to go. I thought we just needed a resolution and 'tada', beautiful love story.
But, oh no, Robert Winter wasn't done with us yet. Some will say he left the best for last. I say he gave us a sneaky, evil plot twist to shred our hearts. *narrow eyed glare at Mr. Winter*
It's a beautiful, if rather heartbreaking, story. The only thing I wasn't fond of was the "Texas accent". I have to make an allowance for that because I'm from Texas so I'm bound to be picky about our accent.
I can't help myself. I simply have to give September 5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 (minus a box of tissues).
This book was provided by the author via IndiGo Marketing & Design in exchange for an honest review.
December 14, 2016
This may have been my best read of 2016!!! Wonderful debut novel involving great characters.
I loved everything about this book. The slow built of trust between these men, their loss, the age gap.
It tore me up many times......
David
David has been a widower for almost 2 years. He's 48 years old and a succesul lawyer. To try to get past his loss of Kyle, he works and excersises hard at the gym. When he injures himself he gets assigned to the young physical therapist Brandon.
Brandon
David and Brandon meet for coffee and one thing leads to another....
Are they able to put their differences aside? Are they able to get past their age-gap. Will David be able to get past his guilt of beginning a new relationship?
I appreciated very much reading about Kyle's thoughts. . It made it very clear the difficulty David had to go through by his grief. Brandon didn't have one problem with their age difference but it was hard for him to accept David's giving nature. It was hard to accept the gifts David wanted to give him. He didn't like to be a kept man. Obviously a lot of people would be thinking about their relationship that way.
"My life has been so empty since that day I left Provincetown. I didn't even know what love could be like until you showed me. You mean everythin' to me too, David, so I'm yours again, if you'll be mine."
And... As it wasn't difficult enough to read about the loss, the hurt, tragedy strikes again..
Grab the tissues and hold on to this wonderful journey of these wonderful men.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
July 13, 2017
This is a realistic look at a man coming back to life after losing his partner to cancer. David has buried his pain in work and in working out, until he pushes so hard he tears a rotator cuff. The therapist he's assigned to is young, good-looking, kind and gay, with a gentle touch and a joy in life that calls to David. He and Brandon have a lot against them at first, from the short-term therapist-client relationship to wide income disparity to a 20+-year age gap. But each of them has something the other has been craving and, in fits and starts, with concerns and mis-steps, they start to forge a relationship.
This was well written although not a deeply emotional read for me, despite the potential angst. The plot and characters felt real. Both men had flaws, but were fundamentally good at heart, and good for each other. I'll read another book by this author.
This was well written although not a deeply emotional read for me, despite the potential angst. The plot and characters felt real. Both men had flaws, but were fundamentally good at heart, and good for each other. I'll read another book by this author.
March 14, 2017
I'm not sure that this has ever happened before but...
All my friends loved this book. So of course I was going to read it and love it right? Well it didn't start off that way...for the first third of this book I was having the world's biggest 'what the hell?' moment. I couldn't understand it? What book was I reading? What did I miss? and I wasn't alone...nope once again I was fortunate enough to have my buddy read besties with me. Josy was on board reading the same words as me and Christelle was there as our faithfulstalker cheerleader because she's already read this book and loved it. Needless to say I was starting to think maybe our sweet Christelle had too much to drink? But then there were so many others who shared her sentiments? Why weren't Josy and I invited to the party? Who did we offend?
So let's just get past what didn't work for the first third of the book as quickly as possible, ok?
Mostly it was the sex...sorry, but there are just some things that should not be part of sex on page...first off the words whopper and penis do not belong together because we all know...that since 1957...this has been...
and I'm sorry but lemons and branches also do not belong in the same sentence as testicles and penis...these are not good descriptives and truthfully my inner 12 year old was running amuck add to this comments equating David's penis to a leaky faucet...sorry, not flattering and then there was cum flying everywhere. My point being the sex scenes were for me laughable and I think I'm safe in saying that Josy agreed with me either that or she just likes to laugh and roll her eyes because this happened a few times.
There were also a couple of additional things that were a bit of a hurdle for me on a personal level one being the age gap...22 years!!! I'm good with 10 and I can stretch it to 15 if need be, but 22 years? (please note in the author's defense this age gap is in the blurb so as much as it boggled my brain the info is there for all to see). This was a big stumbling block for me folks, I was really close to tanking it when I read that one but still not fair to my buddy and I honestly hate to DNF plus truth be told in real life if you're with someone who's 22 years older than you and you're happy what the hell do I know...as long as it's between two informed and consenting adults it's not my place to judge so time to suck it up buttercup and I did (more on this later) my last hurdle and the one that made me want to hurl my e-reader...
Yep, this...I haven't encountered this one very often but when I do it doesn't tend to go well and on one occasion it was such an epic fail I've never read another book by that particular author. So you can well imagine that I was a very, very confused person by the end of day one.
Ok, seriously by the time we were at the one third mark I didn't know what to do. This one was going to get 2 maybe 2.5 stars if I put a few drinks into me before writing my review and I didn't want to bail on Josy because...rude! So needless to say we got to this point with tongue in cheek and a bit of mockery to fortify ourselves and it was getting late in Josy's world so we agreed to give it some more time and try again the next day...well, what a difference a day makes...we'd barely started reading and I was thinking that someone switched my book in the middle of the night because this one was good and just seemed to be getting better.
I found myself becoming more invested in David and Brandon's relationship and in them as people. I was getting more than just the fact that they were having really 'hot sex' and the fact that David is really well endowed...trust me that point was made several times in the first part of the book...David's a lucky man or is it Brandon? Ok, they're both lucky, so moving on from there let's talk about the age difference because...
I've read books where age gaps are ignored altogether. It's made known that there is one and then everyone acts like it's not big deal or it's totally ignored even though you know there had to be one and sometimes it goes the other way and it becomes too much of a big deal and the focus it's given is ridiculous especially when you learn at some point that the 'age gap' is maybe 5 years? So to me age gaps and how they're dealt with aren't about a right or wrong way, it's just a matter of what works for the individual reading the story and in this case for me the age gap was not only dealt with effectively, it was done in a way that not only worked but made me see it as a positive and emotionally healthy relationship shared by two adult men. I could probably go on for a whole lot longer as to why this relationship worked for me and other age gap stories haven't but let's not and just accept that the author ultimately for me did an awesome job with the age gap.
Moving on to my other quirk...talking to your dead partner...this one can be a whole lot dicier considering that this wasn't listed as a paranormal story and hey... dead people talking...that's totally paranormal/supernatural in my world, except that as I read the story what I felt was that this wasn't a case of 'talking dead people' this was David trying to move on from losing the man he'd passionately loved for 15+ years and the voice he was hearing was simply his mind filling in the blanks for someone whose opinions mattered to him, someone whom he knew wanted him to move on and find love again but someone who was no longer there to tell him the things that he knew they would and as someone who's been married for 30 years I can well imagine that if I lost my husband tomorrow I'd be hearing his voice guiding me, offering me advice and support when I needed it just as he's done for the past 30 years and for me this was what was happening for David.
While the first part of this book didn't start out well for me at all. I am so incredibly glad that I didn't give up because the last two thirds of this book were beyond worthwhile. Brandon's confrontation with his 'friend' Ethan, so well done. I wanted to stand up and applaud Brandon for his actions. David's actions at the party over how his friends treated Brandon...shame on you, David. I was saddened by your actions or lack there of but still so well written and realistically presented.
Also in the blurb it mentions an 'unexpected tragedy' well can I just say this right here...blew my mind. On a personal level I know how this all felt. I shared every bit of Brandon's pain both physically and emotionally, holy hell this gutted me and I damned near had to stop reading...you nailed this Mr. Winter like you could not imagine you nailed it hard core and again I pushed through because really after I dried my eyes and pulled myself together a little I was damned if I was quitting now. I need to see this through, I needed to see things get better for both Brandon and David.
Ok, so what else did I like about this book...Kyle...yeah, yeah, I know he's the dead guy but trust me, he plays a really, really important role in David and Brandon's relationship and it's beautiful and so incredibly well done and for me Kyle became the icing on this cake.
Maybe this didn't start out so great, like I said 2 maybe 2.5 slightly mocking stars but with the support of my besties Josy and Christelle. I got to the good stuff and the good stuff took this from 'what the hell was I thinking?' to 'why the hell didn't I read this sooner?' and we're all set for Mr. Winter's next book 'Every Breath You Take', right ladies? We just need the book...hint, hint...
All my friends loved this book. So of course I was going to read it and love it right? Well it didn't start off that way...for the first third of this book I was having the world's biggest 'what the hell?' moment. I couldn't understand it? What book was I reading? What did I miss? and I wasn't alone...nope once again I was fortunate enough to have my buddy read besties with me. Josy was on board reading the same words as me and Christelle was there as our faithful
So let's just get past what didn't work for the first third of the book as quickly as possible, ok?
Mostly it was the sex...sorry, but there are just some things that should not be part of sex on page...first off the words whopper and penis do not belong together because we all know...that since 1957...this has been...
and I'm sorry but lemons and branches also do not belong in the same sentence as testicles and penis...these are not good descriptives and truthfully my inner 12 year old was running amuck add to this comments equating David's penis to a leaky faucet...sorry, not flattering and then there was cum flying everywhere. My point being the sex scenes were for me laughable and I think I'm safe in saying that Josy agreed with me either that or she just likes to laugh and roll her eyes because this happened a few times.
There were also a couple of additional things that were a bit of a hurdle for me on a personal level one being the age gap...22 years!!! I'm good with 10 and I can stretch it to 15 if need be, but 22 years? (please note in the author's defense this age gap is in the blurb so as much as it boggled my brain the info is there for all to see). This was a big stumbling block for me folks, I was really close to tanking it when I read that one but still not fair to my buddy and I honestly hate to DNF plus truth be told in real life if you're with someone who's 22 years older than you and you're happy what the hell do I know...as long as it's between two informed and consenting adults it's not my place to judge so time to suck it up buttercup and I did (more on this later) my last hurdle and the one that made me want to hurl my e-reader...
Yep, this...I haven't encountered this one very often but when I do it doesn't tend to go well and on one occasion it was such an epic fail I've never read another book by that particular author. So you can well imagine that I was a very, very confused person by the end of day one.
Ok, seriously by the time we were at the one third mark I didn't know what to do. This one was going to get 2 maybe 2.5 stars if I put a few drinks into me before writing my review and I didn't want to bail on Josy because...rude! So needless to say we got to this point with tongue in cheek and a bit of mockery to fortify ourselves and it was getting late in Josy's world so we agreed to give it some more time and try again the next day...well, what a difference a day makes...we'd barely started reading and I was thinking that someone switched my book in the middle of the night because this one was good and just seemed to be getting better.
I found myself becoming more invested in David and Brandon's relationship and in them as people. I was getting more than just the fact that they were having really 'hot sex' and the fact that David is really well endowed...trust me that point was made several times in the first part of the book...David's a lucky man or is it Brandon? Ok, they're both lucky, so moving on from there let's talk about the age difference because...
I've read books where age gaps are ignored altogether. It's made known that there is one and then everyone acts like it's not big deal or it's totally ignored even though you know there had to be one and sometimes it goes the other way and it becomes too much of a big deal and the focus it's given is ridiculous especially when you learn at some point that the 'age gap' is maybe 5 years? So to me age gaps and how they're dealt with aren't about a right or wrong way, it's just a matter of what works for the individual reading the story and in this case for me the age gap was not only dealt with effectively, it was done in a way that not only worked but made me see it as a positive and emotionally healthy relationship shared by two adult men. I could probably go on for a whole lot longer as to why this relationship worked for me and other age gap stories haven't but let's not and just accept that the author ultimately for me did an awesome job with the age gap.
Moving on to my other quirk...talking to your dead partner...this one can be a whole lot dicier considering that this wasn't listed as a paranormal story and hey... dead people talking...that's totally paranormal/supernatural in my world, except that as I read the story what I felt was that this wasn't a case of 'talking dead people' this was David trying to move on from losing the man he'd passionately loved for 15+ years and the voice he was hearing was simply his mind filling in the blanks for someone whose opinions mattered to him, someone whom he knew wanted him to move on and find love again but someone who was no longer there to tell him the things that he knew they would and as someone who's been married for 30 years I can well imagine that if I lost my husband tomorrow I'd be hearing his voice guiding me, offering me advice and support when I needed it just as he's done for the past 30 years and for me this was what was happening for David.
While the first part of this book didn't start out well for me at all. I am so incredibly glad that I didn't give up because the last two thirds of this book were beyond worthwhile. Brandon's confrontation with his 'friend' Ethan, so well done. I wanted to stand up and applaud Brandon for his actions. David's actions at the party over how his friends treated Brandon...shame on you, David. I was saddened by your actions or lack there of but still so well written and realistically presented.
Also in the blurb it mentions an 'unexpected tragedy' well can I just say this right here...blew my mind. On a personal level I know how this all felt. I shared every bit of Brandon's pain both physically and emotionally, holy hell this gutted me and I damned near had to stop reading...you nailed this Mr. Winter like you could not imagine you nailed it hard core and again I pushed through because really after I dried my eyes and pulled myself together a little I was damned if I was quitting now. I need to see this through, I needed to see things get better for both Brandon and David.
Ok, so what else did I like about this book...Kyle...yeah, yeah, I know he's the dead guy but trust me, he plays a really, really important role in David and Brandon's relationship and it's beautiful and so incredibly well done and for me Kyle became the icing on this cake.
Maybe this didn't start out so great, like I said 2 maybe 2.5 slightly mocking stars but with the support of my besties Josy and Christelle. I got to the good stuff and the good stuff took this from 'what the hell was I thinking?' to 'why the hell didn't I read this sooner?' and we're all set for Mr. Winter's next book 'Every Breath You Take', right ladies? We just need the book...hint, hint...
June 20, 2017
* A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by the author/publisher via IndiGo Marketing & Design in exchange for an honest review. *
I finished this yesterday but I didn't have the time to review until now, so here it goes.
The characters and the story were very good and I enjoyed getting to know David and Brandon. Before I started reading this I thought I was looking at a very angsty read, what with David being a widower and still trying to start living again, but it turned out to be a pretty low-angst story or at least that's how it felt for me.
This is neither a good thing nor a bad thing, I'm just saying it's something I didn't expect here.
I don't want to spoil anything in the story but I really want to mention this event, so from now on let's refer to it as *the thing* and be a bit vague. Toward the end of the story something happened that changed everything in their lives. I would have prefered for it to have happened earlier in the story, or to at least for the story to be longer so we could explore it a lot more. What I'm trying to say is that in my opinion *the thing* that happened near the end should have been the main event in the story. The author made a nice effort to portay the aftermath realistically but I really needed more development and generally more pages to really get the full effect that it had on the characters.
I really liked the title when I first saw the book but now I don't think it's very fitting. It would have been if what I say in the previous paragraph was true, but *the thing* took place in the last 25% of the book and the actual month of Septemper was only a few pages long. If you've read the book you know what I mean. *The thing* took place in September and really changed their lives so in that regard it should be fine as the title but the focus of the book wasn't really on it. It was on two men from different generations meeting and falling for each other. It even was on navigating a relationship and in starting over again. It sadly wasn't on *the thing* and what happened after, where I really wanted it to be.
About sex scenes:
They were sexy and hot and perfecty fine -- until the characters started talking. I didn't like either of their voices during and after sex or even while talking about sex in general. It was kind of proper and corny, both at the same time. Kind of weird really.
About the epilogue:
I think it was my least favorite epilogue ever. Only about two paragraphs long but I so wish it wasn't there. I get that it was an effort to show the beginning of a new chapter somehow but it didn't work for me at all. I would have prefered no epilogue at all than what was there.
About the secondary characters:
I liked Colin and Matt, they were supportive and great allies. Joe was a category on his own but really sweet. Ethan turned out to be a shitty friend and gave voice to the fears the MCs had about being together. It was a diffcult scene but it needed to happen to strengthen David and Brandon's relationship and to show them that they can be together and stand up to the spiteful people they are going to encounter in their lives.
Even with all those niggles I truly enjoyed reading the book. There is a pretty big age gap between the characters - 22 years - but the author made it work. We saw their struggle with society in general and their "friends" in particular. How they were holding back in their relationship out of fear for "what would people say". We saw their insecurities and their need for guidance and advice from their real friends. Every reaction and thought was very understandable and I didn't find anything over-the-top or frustrating. Even the evil ways of some of the people in their social circle didn't make me roll my eyes. They made me want to keep reading and see how David and Brandon would react.
This story is getting 3.5 stars from me but I still wish that *the thing* near the end was given more time. I wanted to read more about their struggles over that time and the progress they eventually made, but the pages till the end kept getting fewer and fewer and I was really dissapointed about that even before I finished the story. The result was that the conclusion felt very rushed.
I would have prefered another 100 pages than not getting the full effect of that critical time in their lives.
I finished this yesterday but I didn't have the time to review until now, so here it goes.
The characters and the story were very good and I enjoyed getting to know David and Brandon. Before I started reading this I thought I was looking at a very angsty read, what with David being a widower and still trying to start living again, but it turned out to be a pretty low-angst story or at least that's how it felt for me.
This is neither a good thing nor a bad thing, I'm just saying it's something I didn't expect here.
I don't want to spoil anything in the story but I really want to mention this event, so from now on let's refer to it as *the thing* and be a bit vague. Toward the end of the story something happened that changed everything in their lives. I would have prefered for it to have happened earlier in the story, or to at least for the story to be longer so we could explore it a lot more. What I'm trying to say is that in my opinion *the thing* that happened near the end should have been the main event in the story. The author made a nice effort to portay the aftermath realistically but I really needed more development and generally more pages to really get the full effect that it had on the characters.
I really liked the title when I first saw the book but now I don't think it's very fitting. It would have been if what I say in the previous paragraph was true, but *the thing* took place in the last 25% of the book and the actual month of Septemper was only a few pages long. If you've read the book you know what I mean. *The thing* took place in September and really changed their lives so in that regard it should be fine as the title but the focus of the book wasn't really on it. It was on two men from different generations meeting and falling for each other. It even was on navigating a relationship and in starting over again. It sadly wasn't on *the thing* and what happened after, where I really wanted it to be.
About sex scenes:
They were sexy and hot and perfecty fine -- until the characters started talking. I didn't like either of their voices during and after sex or even while talking about sex in general. It was kind of proper and corny, both at the same time. Kind of weird really.
About the epilogue:
I think it was my least favorite epilogue ever. Only about two paragraphs long but I so wish it wasn't there. I get that it was an effort to show the beginning of a new chapter somehow but it didn't work for me at all. I would have prefered no epilogue at all than what was there.
About the secondary characters:
I liked Colin and Matt, they were supportive and great allies. Joe was a category on his own but really sweet. Ethan turned out to be a shitty friend and gave voice to the fears the MCs had about being together. It was a diffcult scene but it needed to happen to strengthen David and Brandon's relationship and to show them that they can be together and stand up to the spiteful people they are going to encounter in their lives.
Even with all those niggles I truly enjoyed reading the book. There is a pretty big age gap between the characters - 22 years - but the author made it work. We saw their struggle with society in general and their "friends" in particular. How they were holding back in their relationship out of fear for "what would people say". We saw their insecurities and their need for guidance and advice from their real friends. Every reaction and thought was very understandable and I didn't find anything over-the-top or frustrating. Even the evil ways of some of the people in their social circle didn't make me roll my eyes. They made me want to keep reading and see how David and Brandon would react.
This story is getting 3.5 stars from me but I still wish that *the thing* near the end was given more time. I wanted to read more about their struggles over that time and the progress they eventually made, but the pages till the end kept getting fewer and fewer and I was really dissapointed about that even before I finished the story. The result was that the conclusion felt very rushed.
I would have prefered another 100 pages than not getting the full effect of that critical time in their lives.
December 7, 2016
~3.5stars~
This was a very interesting debut novel. Some parts I enjoyed, some others bothered me a little, and there were scenes that I absolutely adored! See why I'm finding it hard to write a review? In any case, I expect to see more from this author, and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. I'm settling with 3.5 stars for the overall experience.
What I liked:
~The slow burn. There's a lot of it and I loved the dates, the banter, and the building tension.
~Kyle. The dead partner was a big part of the story but he wasn't an ever-present ghost that screwed up everything for the MCs, despite the convos inside David's head. Also, he was treated with respect.
~The steam! Brandon and David had crazy chemistry and it showed! The sex scenes felt pretty unique.
~There was a nice dose of feels. Straight to the gut sometimes. I like this kind of relationship angst.
What I loved:
~The opening and closing scene reminded me of a theatrical script or a screenplay. So interesting, refreshing and evocative. The last scene, in particular, left me wide eyed and goosebumped!
~The letter. That damn letter.
What didn't work:
~I found some things to be a little inconsiderate (like the repetition of the word "fat" from someone that was all muscles), or just a bad stereotype (like Brandon instantly assuming that Kyle died of AIDS. Aren't there any other causes of death for gay men?).
~The "bad" characters were maybe a little OTT bad.
~It felt a little wordy to me. I think it could have been shorter.
Overall, I enjoyed this and I think it was a nice debut. Like I said, I'm looking forward to more stories from the author.
~Review cross-posted on Gay Book Reviews.~
This was a very interesting debut novel. Some parts I enjoyed, some others bothered me a little, and there were scenes that I absolutely adored! See why I'm finding it hard to write a review? In any case, I expect to see more from this author, and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. I'm settling with 3.5 stars for the overall experience.
What I liked:
~The slow burn. There's a lot of it and I loved the dates, the banter, and the building tension.
~Kyle. The dead partner was a big part of the story but he wasn't an ever-present ghost that screwed up everything for the MCs, despite the convos inside David's head. Also, he was treated with respect.
~The steam! Brandon and David had crazy chemistry and it showed! The sex scenes felt pretty unique.
~There was a nice dose of feels. Straight to the gut sometimes. I like this kind of relationship angst.
What I loved:
~The opening and closing scene reminded me of a theatrical script or a screenplay. So interesting, refreshing and evocative. The last scene, in particular, left me wide eyed and goosebumped!
~The letter. That damn letter.
What didn't work:
~I found some things to be a little inconsiderate (like the repetition of the word "fat" from someone that was all muscles), or just a bad stereotype (like Brandon instantly assuming that Kyle died of AIDS. Aren't there any other causes of death for gay men?).
~The "bad" characters were maybe a little OTT bad.
~It felt a little wordy to me. I think it could have been shorter.
Overall, I enjoyed this and I think it was a nice debut. Like I said, I'm looking forward to more stories from the author.
~Review cross-posted on Gay Book Reviews.~
February 2, 2017
4 strong stars. I read it’s a debut from this author : I will look up for other books.
David is 48 and lost his long-time lover, Kyle, 2 years ago. He busied himself between his work as a very successful law partner and the gym. A shoulder injury brings him to meet Brandon, a young physical therapist starting his career and struggling with student loans.
The attraction between them is strong. A simple coffee date leads to a very hot night and then more and more, inside the bedroom (or the living room) and outside of it. It develops nicely and hotly, with some realistic struggles such as the age gap, the difference of economic status, David’s grief over Kyle, Brandon’s pride and the interference of “friends” or acquaintances.
At that point, I was enjoying the story : the characters were lovable, the relationship was building flawlessly with nice sentiments, the chemistry was great and the sex scenes were hot. A good read, even though it was dragging a little bit for me…and then…a twist I didn’t see coming !!
From there, it went from a good read to a breath-taking and heart-breaking read. I was on the edge of my seat, shading a few tears. Well, a lot of tears when a letter came into the mix to save the relationship between David and Brandon.
I enjoyed the first 2/3 of the story but let me tell you : I LOVED the last third with all the angst, despair, hope and feelings displayed.
Recommended !!
David is 48 and lost his long-time lover, Kyle, 2 years ago. He busied himself between his work as a very successful law partner and the gym. A shoulder injury brings him to meet Brandon, a young physical therapist starting his career and struggling with student loans.
The attraction between them is strong. A simple coffee date leads to a very hot night and then more and more, inside the bedroom (or the living room) and outside of it. It develops nicely and hotly, with some realistic struggles such as the age gap, the difference of economic status, David’s grief over Kyle, Brandon’s pride and the interference of “friends” or acquaintances.
At that point, I was enjoying the story : the characters were lovable, the relationship was building flawlessly with nice sentiments, the chemistry was great and the sex scenes were hot. A good read, even though it was dragging a little bit for me…and then…a twist I didn’t see coming !!
From there, it went from a good read to a breath-taking and heart-breaking read. I was on the edge of my seat, shading a few tears. Well, a lot of tears when a letter came into the mix to save the relationship between David and Brandon.
I enjoyed the first 2/3 of the story but let me tell you : I LOVED the last third with all the angst, despair, hope and feelings displayed.
Recommended !!
February 25, 2017
What a lovely debut novel by Robert Winters!
I'm always partial to the 'age gap' trope, and 22 years are certainly a huge gap between the two MCs, David and Brandon.
I loved all the problems this alone caused, particularly for David. I have to say I really really get where he is coming from. At 48 he knows the future might not be all rosy and healthy, even if he keeps his body in supreme condition at the moment.. He knows that ten or twenty years down the line, things could change and effect their relationship. And on top of it all he is a lot more affluent than Brandon. I can really understand why he is worried and scared to commit. Because surely this can only end in Brandon walking away?
But David has been so lonely for so long, and he has so much to give yet! Something Brandon realizes once he gets to know the man better. Brandon simply appreciates David, not only as a man, but also as lover. I loved that there was this spark and a deeper connection between the men right from the beginning, making their hot love scenes way more meaningful than just casual sex.
The 'getting to know you' and starting to date part was really very well done and felt totally realistic. Only niggle is that at times the language the MCs use felt a bit too old fashioned for them. But that aside, the slow burn worked really well.
Brandon wants David, no matter what, even if he doesn't know his exact age at the beginning, and he is ready to fight for him, until...
Well, let me tell you that the age gap problem isn't by far the only issue in this book! I will not go into detail, all I can say is that the turn of events at about 60% completely change the dynamics between the two men, and add even more depth to their relationship as a result.
One more thing- the author writes in extreme detail. Sometimes that works extremely favourably (like describing Provincetown felt totally personal), other times I could have done without it.
All in all this was a very enjoyable book which I am very happy to recommend!
I'm always partial to the 'age gap' trope, and 22 years are certainly a huge gap between the two MCs, David and Brandon.
I loved all the problems this alone caused, particularly for David. I have to say I really really get where he is coming from. At 48 he knows the future might not be all rosy and healthy, even if he keeps his body in supreme condition at the moment.. He knows that ten or twenty years down the line, things could change and effect their relationship. And on top of it all he is a lot more affluent than Brandon. I can really understand why he is worried and scared to commit. Because surely this can only end in Brandon walking away?
But David has been so lonely for so long, and he has so much to give yet! Something Brandon realizes once he gets to know the man better. Brandon simply appreciates David, not only as a man, but also as lover. I loved that there was this spark and a deeper connection between the men right from the beginning, making their hot love scenes way more meaningful than just casual sex.
The 'getting to know you' and starting to date part was really very well done and felt totally realistic. Only niggle is that at times the language the MCs use felt a bit too old fashioned for them. But that aside, the slow burn worked really well.
Brandon wants David, no matter what, even if he doesn't know his exact age at the beginning, and he is ready to fight for him, until...
Well, let me tell you that the age gap problem isn't by far the only issue in this book! I will not go into detail, all I can say is that the turn of events at about 60% completely change the dynamics between the two men, and add even more depth to their relationship as a result.
One more thing- the author writes in extreme detail. Sometimes that works extremely favourably (like describing Provincetown felt totally personal), other times I could have done without it.
All in all this was a very enjoyable book which I am very happy to recommend!
December 13, 2016
4+ stars
Wow, what a ride! If you enjoy the emotional writing of Jay Bell or Suki Fleet you'll likely love this book.
The first few chapters made this one hard for me to get into. Once David & Brandon had their first date though, I was hooked and didn't want to put the story down.
This had a few of my pet peeves in it, mainly but they were handled well and didn't drag on excessively.
Overall a very good, well written hurt/comfort story.
Thanks for the rec., Cupcake. You're forgiven. ;)
Wow, what a ride! If you enjoy the emotional writing of Jay Bell or Suki Fleet you'll likely love this book.
The first few chapters made this one hard for me to get into. Once David & Brandon had their first date though, I was hooked and didn't want to put the story down.
This had a few of my pet peeves in it, mainly but they were handled well and didn't drag on excessively.
Overall a very good, well written hurt/comfort story.
Thanks for the rec., Cupcake. You're forgiven. ;)
Want to read
March 18, 2018Yay! Price drop to $0.99 at Amazon US, 3/17/18!
December 1, 2018
In his novel September Robert Winter blends passion, heartache, and hope to create a powerfully moving romance. Beautifully written, with deep and engaging characters, this first book in his Pride and Joy series touched me so much I had to read it twice at its original publication. There are scenes I still can’t get out of my mind.
When I saw September was being made into an audio book I knew the narrator would have his work cut out for him. I was curious to see how they would capture the essence of these unique men and bring their story to life. Robert Winter’s eloquent writing style would also have to shine through, so the story teller would need an expressive, melodic voice. I knew it was a tall order but if it could all come together, the audio version of September would be a winner. I am not disappointed!
I’ve got to begin by describing what made this intense and moving story so special to me, and then I’ll share how Kale Williams won me over.
The story starts with David, two years after his longtime partner Kyle has passed away from cancer, thinking he might be ready to start dating again. When Brandon, his hot (and very young) physical therapist, starts flirting with him, David can’t deny the attraction and the two men agree to get together for coffee.
Told in alternating points-of-view we get to know how each man is feeling as they navigate their way through the challenges of their blossoming relationship. Despite the twenty-two year age gap, the disparity between their financial situations, and dealing with their friends’ reactions, they can’t deny their powerful chemistry. Putting it all into perspective David says, ‘“This time with you is a gift, Brandon. I have some money, sure, and so much stuff, but it really means nothing… You’ve reminded me I’m still alive.’” Both men can see the possibilities for their future and recognize they have to work through these issues to get there.
There’s no way I could review September without raving about the powerfully erotic scenes between David and Brandon. The depth of the connection between these two men is evident from their first kiss. As they open up to each other both physically and emotionally, they achieve a level of intimacy that’s incredibly intense. Robert Winter captures the passion of these two men in some of the most sensual and romantic scenes I’ve ever read (trust me, there are bookmarks all over my Kindle).
I also have to say how much it moves me to have Kyle be a part of this story. The way David hears Kyle’s voice giving him encouragement and gentle admonition shows the depth of their connection, and how important that relationship will always be. It’s one of the most appealing aspects of David’s character, that he can cherish his love for Kyle and still fully embrace his love for Brandon.
Kale Williams definitely showcases all his skills in his narration of September. He brings these characters to life and demonstrates that he truly understands these complex men and how they change over the course of the story. His expressive voice enhances the emotion and elevates the story to a higher level.
The smooth cadence he uses to tell the story works well and leaves him room to play with David’s confident, relaxed tones and Brandon’s mild Texas twang. There are also a number of supporting characters and Williams keeps them all unique with a wide variety of accents and inflections.
Where Kale Williams really goes above and beyond is in Kyle’s scenes. As a character in the periphery, who we know only through others’ eyes, Williams shows us a man who has experienced real love, brings him to life, and adds a dimension to Kyle I just didn’t get from reading it alone. These are some truly heart wrenching scenes, the emotional pinnacle of the story is amazing and completely tore me up when I read it. If Kyle’s letter doesn’t move you to tears, the epilogue will surely slay you, and Kale Williams brings it home with aplomb.
Robert Winter is an amazing writer and I think the most impressive thing about his talent is that every one of his books is completely unique. He embraces the essence of whichever genre he’s crafting, making his books more fascinating to read. If you haven’t yet discovered this wonderful author I encourage you to pick up any one of his stories and I promise you’ll find something to love.
Finally, if you are like me, a die hard fan of September and are on the fence about investing in this audio book, I can’t stress enough how much Kale Williams adds to the story. This really is a special one, and Williams elevates these men’s journey in a way that reading alone just can’t do. It didn’t surprise me to find out he has a background in acting, he added an extra layer of intimacy with his narration and brought out nuances I hadn’t even realized were there.
When I saw September was being made into an audio book I knew the narrator would have his work cut out for him. I was curious to see how they would capture the essence of these unique men and bring their story to life. Robert Winter’s eloquent writing style would also have to shine through, so the story teller would need an expressive, melodic voice. I knew it was a tall order but if it could all come together, the audio version of September would be a winner. I am not disappointed!
I’ve got to begin by describing what made this intense and moving story so special to me, and then I’ll share how Kale Williams won me over.
The story starts with David, two years after his longtime partner Kyle has passed away from cancer, thinking he might be ready to start dating again. When Brandon, his hot (and very young) physical therapist, starts flirting with him, David can’t deny the attraction and the two men agree to get together for coffee.
Told in alternating points-of-view we get to know how each man is feeling as they navigate their way through the challenges of their blossoming relationship. Despite the twenty-two year age gap, the disparity between their financial situations, and dealing with their friends’ reactions, they can’t deny their powerful chemistry. Putting it all into perspective David says, ‘“This time with you is a gift, Brandon. I have some money, sure, and so much stuff, but it really means nothing… You’ve reminded me I’m still alive.’” Both men can see the possibilities for their future and recognize they have to work through these issues to get there.
There’s no way I could review September without raving about the powerfully erotic scenes between David and Brandon. The depth of the connection between these two men is evident from their first kiss. As they open up to each other both physically and emotionally, they achieve a level of intimacy that’s incredibly intense. Robert Winter captures the passion of these two men in some of the most sensual and romantic scenes I’ve ever read (trust me, there are bookmarks all over my Kindle).
I also have to say how much it moves me to have Kyle be a part of this story. The way David hears Kyle’s voice giving him encouragement and gentle admonition shows the depth of their connection, and how important that relationship will always be. It’s one of the most appealing aspects of David’s character, that he can cherish his love for Kyle and still fully embrace his love for Brandon.
Kale Williams definitely showcases all his skills in his narration of September. He brings these characters to life and demonstrates that he truly understands these complex men and how they change over the course of the story. His expressive voice enhances the emotion and elevates the story to a higher level.
The smooth cadence he uses to tell the story works well and leaves him room to play with David’s confident, relaxed tones and Brandon’s mild Texas twang. There are also a number of supporting characters and Williams keeps them all unique with a wide variety of accents and inflections.
Where Kale Williams really goes above and beyond is in Kyle’s scenes. As a character in the periphery, who we know only through others’ eyes, Williams shows us a man who has experienced real love, brings him to life, and adds a dimension to Kyle I just didn’t get from reading it alone. These are some truly heart wrenching scenes, the emotional pinnacle of the story is amazing and completely tore me up when I read it. If Kyle’s letter doesn’t move you to tears, the epilogue will surely slay you, and Kale Williams brings it home with aplomb.
Robert Winter is an amazing writer and I think the most impressive thing about his talent is that every one of his books is completely unique. He embraces the essence of whichever genre he’s crafting, making his books more fascinating to read. If you haven’t yet discovered this wonderful author I encourage you to pick up any one of his stories and I promise you’ll find something to love.
Finally, if you are like me, a die hard fan of September and are on the fence about investing in this audio book, I can’t stress enough how much Kale Williams adds to the story. This really is a special one, and Williams elevates these men’s journey in a way that reading alone just can’t do. It didn’t surprise me to find out he has a background in acting, he added an extra layer of intimacy with his narration and brought out nuances I hadn’t even realized were there.
March 28, 2018
This book is amazing... The relationship between the two MC's is just breathtaking. I loved the slow burn of the romance and also that the two MC's fumble their way into being together both making mistakes and then working to correct them as they fall for one another.
July 17, 2022
Audio - 5 stars
Story - 3.75 stars
Story - 3.75 stars
April 26, 2017
I liked it a lot with a few reservations. I need to put some thought into my review. It's very hard to review without spoilers!
I did like this, more in parts one and two than the rest. It was absolutely an impressive debut. I guess I consider it somewhat slow paced in parts but I liked getting to know the characters so well. The chronicle of the time they spent together really got me invested in what would happen between David and Brandon. I enjoy the older-younger man trope, as well as someone trying to rebuild their life after a loss. I also think that Brandon actually felt more mature than David much of the time. David was very easy to empathize with though, since I'm older. In fact, "real" was my foremost thought for much of the story. David, being a successful, wealthy attorney, seemed to live in kind of a bubble and it contrasted well with Brandon's young career and his more down-to-earth struggles, as well as fitting the plot line. There was some detail and minutiae that could have been left out, like; David took his shirt off and Brandon removed his, then David toed off his shoes and socks, then... Just tell me they removed their clothes! It didn't distract me from the story, just noticable.
Neither David or Brandon had many close friends, so most of the secondary characters were written as casual friends. David did have Chris, Joe and Terry and they played important parts in the narrative. Brandon hadn't really gotten too close to anyone because he'd moved so recently but Colin became one. But the interactions with the more casual friends drove some major plot points. Those made me think of commentary I've heard and read, where the gay community can cling to its own prejudices and stereotypes where age is concerned. David and Brandon's reactions all felt quite plausible, even though their reactions differed in similar situations. I have to mention the sex scenes and once more "real" is the only description. They were scorching hot but also didn't get overly romanticized.
My issues came up in part three. At that point I was totally disgusted with David's cowardice, which is a good thing, since it meant I was invested in him. I just hated the plot device used at that point. I had to really think about whether it's my personal peeve about this sort of thing or actually a fault in the book. The best I could do was, it's both. It felt too much like a contrivance. I think the same device could have been used to move the story along without making it a catalyst for the characters actions. In the last two parts I felt certain actions, at two different points on Brandon's part, seemed too abrupt. Considering the amount of detail in the first chapters, I didn't think there was quite enough for those. It took me out of the story at those points and didn't feel true to the previous pace.
So now that I've been purposefully vague and anyone reading this has no idea what my effing problem is, let me sum up. Great story, well worth reading and your opinions will no doubt differ from mine. I will be keeping an eye out for the next release from this author!
I did like this, more in parts one and two than the rest. It was absolutely an impressive debut. I guess I consider it somewhat slow paced in parts but I liked getting to know the characters so well. The chronicle of the time they spent together really got me invested in what would happen between David and Brandon. I enjoy the older-younger man trope, as well as someone trying to rebuild their life after a loss. I also think that Brandon actually felt more mature than David much of the time. David was very easy to empathize with though, since I'm older. In fact, "real" was my foremost thought for much of the story. David, being a successful, wealthy attorney, seemed to live in kind of a bubble and it contrasted well with Brandon's young career and his more down-to-earth struggles, as well as fitting the plot line. There was some detail and minutiae that could have been left out, like; David took his shirt off and Brandon removed his, then David toed off his shoes and socks, then... Just tell me they removed their clothes! It didn't distract me from the story, just noticable.
Neither David or Brandon had many close friends, so most of the secondary characters were written as casual friends. David did have Chris, Joe and Terry and they played important parts in the narrative. Brandon hadn't really gotten too close to anyone because he'd moved so recently but Colin became one. But the interactions with the more casual friends drove some major plot points. Those made me think of commentary I've heard and read, where the gay community can cling to its own prejudices and stereotypes where age is concerned. David and Brandon's reactions all felt quite plausible, even though their reactions differed in similar situations. I have to mention the sex scenes and once more "real" is the only description. They were scorching hot but also didn't get overly romanticized.
My issues came up in part three. At that point I was totally disgusted with David's cowardice, which is a good thing, since it meant I was invested in him. I just hated the plot device used at that point. I had to really think about whether it's my personal peeve about this sort of thing or actually a fault in the book. The best I could do was, it's both. It felt too much like a contrivance. I think the same device could have been used to move the story along without making it a catalyst for the characters actions. In the last two parts I felt certain actions, at two different points on Brandon's part, seemed too abrupt. Considering the amount of detail in the first chapters, I didn't think there was quite enough for those. It took me out of the story at those points and didn't feel true to the previous pace.
So now that I've been purposefully vague and anyone reading this has no idea what my effing problem is, let me sum up. Great story, well worth reading and your opinions will no doubt differ from mine. I will be keeping an eye out for the next release from this author!
March 16, 2018
Stunning debut novel from Robert Winter
Yes I know, I'm late to the party!)but I have the ARC of Book Two so...
I don't know quite where to start with this one. The fact I stayed up until 2.30am to finish reading it all in one go or the clever way the Prologue and Epilogue felt like the theatre directions for a play about to unfold, or the simply beautiful writing.
Each one on their own would have been a delight to find in a debut novel but to get all three really was a pleasure.
This book also has one of my favourite tropes - a May to December romance - or, as David's friends put it, more of a May to September one. The 22 year age gap didn't bother me in the slightest, I loved the connection that David and Brandon had.
There's drama and there's angst, but it never sways into what I like to call dramady, where it feels like something which happens as a plot tick box only rather than a natural progression of the narrative.
There's so many parts of this book I want to rave about but I think it works best when uncovered during reading. I'm glad I wasn't spoiled for the unexpected incident which occurs, the fall out from which is handled beautifully in the writing.
And also big props for not making David's dead lover into some mythical perfect being. The scenes where David is "talking" to Kyle in his head were some of my favourites.
Yes I know, I'm late to the party!)but I have the ARC of Book Two so...
I don't know quite where to start with this one. The fact I stayed up until 2.30am to finish reading it all in one go or the clever way the Prologue and Epilogue felt like the theatre directions for a play about to unfold, or the simply beautiful writing.
Each one on their own would have been a delight to find in a debut novel but to get all three really was a pleasure.
This book also has one of my favourite tropes - a May to December romance - or, as David's friends put it, more of a May to September one. The 22 year age gap didn't bother me in the slightest, I loved the connection that David and Brandon had.
There's drama and there's angst, but it never sways into what I like to call dramady, where it feels like something which happens as a plot tick box only rather than a natural progression of the narrative.
There's so many parts of this book I want to rave about but I think it works best when uncovered during reading. I'm glad I wasn't spoiled for the unexpected incident which occurs, the fall out from which is handled beautifully in the writing.
And also big props for not making David's dead lover into some mythical perfect being. The scenes where David is "talking" to Kyle in his head were some of my favourites.
April 25, 2017
Me ha gustado, entretenido y con personajes que es fácil querer y con los que también es fácil empatizar.
Sin embargo, creo que necesita un mejor editado, sobran palabras que le quitan ritmo. Además todo es demasiado perfecto, las situaciones son difíciles pero los personajes siempre saben lo que tienen que decir, el discurso es siempre el adecuado. Las conversaciones en ocasiones no son naturales, todo parece muy preparado y eso le quita mucha fuerza y emotividad al discurso. Por otro lado, los personajes "malos" y las situaciones con ellos están muy estereotipados, muy forzado.
De todas formas, una buena novela debut, me gustaron los MC y las escenas de sexo son realmente buenas, sexys pero con sentimiento, seguro que leeré el siguiente..
Sin embargo, creo que necesita un mejor editado, sobran palabras que le quitan ritmo. Además todo es demasiado perfecto, las situaciones son difíciles pero los personajes siempre saben lo que tienen que decir, el discurso es siempre el adecuado. Las conversaciones en ocasiones no son naturales, todo parece muy preparado y eso le quita mucha fuerza y emotividad al discurso. Por otro lado, los personajes "malos" y las situaciones con ellos están muy estereotipados, muy forzado.
De todas formas, una buena novela debut, me gustaron los MC y las escenas de sexo son realmente buenas, sexys pero con sentimiento, seguro que leeré el siguiente..
December 19, 2016
I cried. Multiple times. I may even have gasped out loud theatrically while sitting and reading entirely alone.
This is very much a romance, but it does come with some weighty subject matter, so be in the mood for that kind of read when you pick it up. And don't read it around other people if you are at all prone to tearing up over fiction.
I don't recall much that I'd really feel necessary to call out for critique; nothing rubbed me wrong, here.
Keeping this review simple because I'm honestly too tired now to go into exhaustive detail. If you like this kind of book, you probably already plan on reading it.
Oh, I did think of one thing to critique: the cover. I almost shelved this book for way later because the (admittedly handsome) floating torsos had me assuming on some level that I was in for a trite, routine delivery. The idea of someone finding love again after a tragedy is definitely not new, but I feel that this author pulled it off quite well. It almost felt like I was reading two books with how the story was structured, actually.
This is very much a romance, but it does come with some weighty subject matter, so be in the mood for that kind of read when you pick it up. And don't read it around other people if you are at all prone to tearing up over fiction.
I don't recall much that I'd really feel necessary to call out for critique; nothing rubbed me wrong, here.
Keeping this review simple because I'm honestly too tired now to go into exhaustive detail. If you like this kind of book, you probably already plan on reading it.
Oh, I did think of one thing to critique: the cover. I almost shelved this book for way later because the (admittedly handsome) floating torsos had me assuming on some level that I was in for a trite, routine delivery. The idea of someone finding love again after a tragedy is definitely not new, but I feel that this author pulled it off quite well. It almost felt like I was reading two books with how the story was structured, actually.
December 13, 2016
Awesome! What a wonderful story, from first to last page. Well rounded and totally captivating, it left me speechless; only this: now I'm already waiting for the next book in this series.
December 10, 2016
I would consider this a strong start for an author's debut. In this setup, David is in his late 40s, and is still mourning the loss of his partner from a few years back. Brandon is a twenty-something physical therapist who's relocated from Texas to get away from the homophobia.
These two meet when David tears his rotator cuff and needs PT. The attraction is instant, the flirting starts, and the men began to date on another.
I will say that the smexy times in this book is en fuego. . It was hot from the very beginning, so 5 stars in that area! The relationship development in the first half of the book was done pretty well also. I enjoyed their complete honesty with each other and the push-pull they had going on.
But there are a few niggles that bugged the crap out of me.
1. The use of the word "fat" or "heavy" or "heavy set" to describe other people. It's mean and completely unnecessary. Just because David and Brandon are all buff and ripped and could be on the cover of Men's Magazine, doesn't mean they need to be douchebags. These comments about people's weight was the worst of it, but there were other shallow comments, too. And since these were such "nice" guys, it felt uncharacteristic.
2. I'm not sure where the author is from and if his friends/family speak this way, but some of the phrasing in this book was just so.....oddly cheesy and pretentious. Examples:
3. At one point David, while still inside of Brandon, contorts himself and finishes Brandon off by sucking him off. While still inside Brandon. WTF?
4. Brandon and David's friends. They each had a friend that was a complete caricature of the After School Special Villain. Two dimensional, mean, and just way OTT with the bullying words. And these were friends they'd each had for years. You can't tell me that kind of behavior is a first for either of them to experience. It was so ridiculous, and I was immediately taken out of the book, in both cases.
Niggles aside, I was definitely invested in the outcome of Brandon and David. And, like I said, the first half had me intrigued. The second half was just "meh" though. It got too cheesy for me. It almost felt like a different author was writing it.....almost. What others found sweet, I found OTT. Shrugs. That's just me though.
I definitely enjoyed the writing style and will be on the lookout for future books. I think, as a debut, this one did ok. Polish it up a bit, and this author will be well-liked by many.
These two meet when David tears his rotator cuff and needs PT. The attraction is instant, the flirting starts, and the men began to date on another.
I will say that the smexy times in this book is en fuego. . It was hot from the very beginning, so 5 stars in that area! The relationship development in the first half of the book was done pretty well also. I enjoyed their complete honesty with each other and the push-pull they had going on.
But there are a few niggles that bugged the crap out of me.
1. The use of the word "fat" or "heavy" or "heavy set" to describe other people. It's mean and completely unnecessary. Just because David and Brandon are all buff and ripped and could be on the cover of Men's Magazine, doesn't mean they need to be douchebags. These comments about people's weight was the worst of it, but there were other shallow comments, too. And since these were such "nice" guys, it felt uncharacteristic.
2. I'm not sure where the author is from and if his friends/family speak this way, but some of the phrasing in this book was just so.....oddly cheesy and pretentious. Examples:
"My dear boy,......." "My clever boy...." "Dear heart,....."
"Darling, it's wonderful to meet you. You've quite brightened up our David, and I can see why. You are a breath of spring."
3. At one point David, while still inside of Brandon, contorts himself and finishes Brandon off by sucking him off. While still inside Brandon. WTF?
4. Brandon and David's friends. They each had a friend that was a complete caricature of the After School Special Villain. Two dimensional, mean, and just way OTT with the bullying words. And these were friends they'd each had for years. You can't tell me that kind of behavior is a first for either of them to experience. It was so ridiculous, and I was immediately taken out of the book, in both cases.
Niggles aside, I was definitely invested in the outcome of Brandon and David. And, like I said, the first half had me intrigued. The second half was just "meh" though. It got too cheesy for me. It almost felt like a different author was writing it.....almost. What others found sweet, I found OTT. Shrugs. That's just me though.
I definitely enjoyed the writing style and will be on the lookout for future books. I think, as a debut, this one did ok. Polish it up a bit, and this author will be well-liked by many.
May 28, 2017
I get it now why many readers said they needed Kleenex during this read, it wasn't because it was full of angst throughout the book but close to the end but they were beautiful tears.. 😥☺️ I actually didn't realize I was crying until I felt the wetness on my cheeks. This a sweet read with Brandon being the most patient and understanding man for David and David being the true gentleman and caring person Brandon deserved, they ran through a rough spot but nothing so devastating that pissed me off reading it. The parts with Kyle were bitter sweet too.
March 27, 2018
I've posted my 5 star review under the audio edition here
June 29, 2022
I really hate stories that have wonderful, warm, lovable characters that you really want the very best of everything for, and then when it’s all going well...some folks come along and suck the joy out of everything. I was really afraid that this was going to happen to David and Brandon. This turned out to be a beautiful and engrossing story of love and loss. Of coming to a point in life when you feel as though you are facing years of loneliness after a too short period of unbelievable happiness. Robert Winter has written these characters with such depth of feeling that you share David’s sorrow when learning that Kyle, his lover of 15-years, had died after a losing fight with cancer. This story begins a few years later when David meets Brandon as his physical therapist and the attractions is mutual and immediate. They say age is just a number, but they have to wonder could 22 years of age difference be too much and will their friends, on both sides, ruin their still fragile relationship with snide age, and “kept man” remarks? Both David and Brandon have to overcome their fears and prejudices, their feelings of worth, their different lifestyles status, and learn to not let the opinions of any others influence how they feel. All these roadblocks are written in such a way as to be completely believable and understandable. Robert Winter has truly written a love story that flows with honest feelings and understanding of the human heart. It's a story of finding a way to everlasting happiness with the one perfect person who makes you entirely whole. It’s absolutely beyond beautiful. I challenge anyone to get to the part where Brandon reads “THE LETTER” and not need a box of tissues. I cannot find enough words to say how touching this story was and how it grabbed me and held on long after the cover was closed. You can be sure that I will read it again and again, and again. I do that with books and authors that I love as much as I did this one. I believe that September was this author’s first book, (I could be wrong), but I have to reiterate how talented this author is, and how skillfully he entwines our hearts into this story. I have ordered the second book in the series plus one in another of Robert Winter’s series. He has joined my short list of favorite authors. Thank you, Mr. Winter, for this heartbreaking but in its own way, heartwarmingly wonderful experience.
September 23, 2017
I finished this a few days ago but, oh man, you have no idea how difficult has been to decide what kind of rating I’ll give it to this book so I’ve been avoiding this moment. I can’t keep hiding though, so I’ll try to be objective in here, but let’s face it. There is nothing objective about reading and reviewing a book, is there?
The blurb tells you almost everything that you need to know: there’s an age gap of 22 years (that you know I’m a sucker for), there’s loss, grieving, love, and 'angst'.
The story begins with David James is in his late 40s and is a successful attorney who’s grieving the loss of his lover. After he injures himself he’s sent to do some PT and there’s when he meets Brandon Smith, a 27 years-old guy that speaks with a sexy Texan drawl and loves calling David ‘cow-boy’ (not my fav nickname, but whatever.) When these two meet, there’s insta-lust (I can deal with insta-lust, it is more realistic than insta-love.) And their relationship develops smoothly, almost too perfect. If they would have lived in a bubble, things would have worked out differently for them. But sadly, they had to interact with the real world.
And within their interactions with RL, their problems begin. David is concerned with the age gap and Brandon is afraid that he’ll be David’s rent boy. They fall into this circle of ‘what people would think’.
Everyone claim this story to be ‘angsty’ but I just didn’t feel it. I couldn’t connect with the characters and I don’t know where people started to grab their box of tissues. I don’t like finishing a book and feel empty afterward and that’s exactly what happened to me in here. I felt empty.
There were some plot issues to me in here. Let’s start with when Brandon finds out that David’s lover died and he implies that he died due to HVI. He did it like every gay man dies because of it and I think that was very rude.
Grieving. David was supposed to be grieving but I just didn’t feel like it. I didn’t feel his pain. He mostly felt guilty but that quickly evaporated when he was with Brandon. Oh, and he might have some early dementia because he talked to Kyle in his head…
Plot. The beginning was slow and the ending was quite rush. On the last 25%, there’s a *thing* as my friend Ky calls it (Ky’s review), that changes the mood of the book. I think it was a last minute add up because it was a heavy thing that shouldn’t have been treated at the last 50 pages of the book. It needed a more insight and because Winter didn’t develop it better, the way they solved it didn’t feel real to me.
I won’t say I didn’t have fun with this book because I laugh a lot with some of the characters’ behaviors that were utterly ridiculous. For example David and Brandon’s friends (if you can call them friends.) Ethan. He was cool at the beginning but then he was an asshole. I don’t get why he was being that way. Was he jealous? And David’s rich “friends”. What the fuck dude? It was like watching a soap opera when they were bullying David and Brandon.
Ok, these type of behavior can't be a first for either so I don’t know how these two manage to be so blind with their friends. They were complete assholes but somehow they're actions were an important part of the plot in here. It wasn't the best approach but I guess it's ok.
The title. When I read a book I like finding out the reason of the title but after I finish I’m just confused. I don’t know why ‘September’. It’s not like the whole books develop in September or something… I think not even *the thing* happens in September.
Overall, it’s an ok story. Sometimes was kinda of cheesy, especially when they were having sex but it was a good debut, but you know, after reading a book with a similar premise (Archer Through Arrows )
this one just didn’t wow me.
Copy received from author via Indigo Marketing and Design in exchange for an honest review.
The blurb tells you almost everything that you need to know: there’s an age gap of 22 years (that you know I’m a sucker for), there’s loss, grieving, love, and 'angst'.
The story begins with David James is in his late 40s and is a successful attorney who’s grieving the loss of his lover. After he injures himself he’s sent to do some PT and there’s when he meets Brandon Smith, a 27 years-old guy that speaks with a sexy Texan drawl and loves calling David ‘cow-boy’ (not my fav nickname, but whatever.) When these two meet, there’s insta-lust (I can deal with insta-lust, it is more realistic than insta-love.) And their relationship develops smoothly, almost too perfect. If they would have lived in a bubble, things would have worked out differently for them. But sadly, they had to interact with the real world.
And within their interactions with RL, their problems begin. David is concerned with the age gap and Brandon is afraid that he’ll be David’s rent boy. They fall into this circle of ‘what people would think’.
Everyone claim this story to be ‘angsty’ but I just didn’t feel it. I couldn’t connect with the characters and I don’t know where people started to grab their box of tissues. I don’t like finishing a book and feel empty afterward and that’s exactly what happened to me in here. I felt empty.
There were some plot issues to me in here. Let’s start with when Brandon finds out that David’s lover died and he implies that he died due to HVI. He did it like every gay man dies because of it and I think that was very rude.
Grieving. David was supposed to be grieving but I just didn’t feel like it. I didn’t feel his pain. He mostly felt guilty but that quickly evaporated when he was with Brandon. Oh, and he might have some early dementia because he talked to Kyle in his head…
Plot. The beginning was slow and the ending was quite rush. On the last 25%, there’s a *thing* as my friend Ky calls it (Ky’s review), that changes the mood of the book. I think it was a last minute add up because it was a heavy thing that shouldn’t have been treated at the last 50 pages of the book. It needed a more insight and because Winter didn’t develop it better, the way they solved it didn’t feel real to me.
I won’t say I didn’t have fun with this book because I laugh a lot with some of the characters’ behaviors that were utterly ridiculous. For example David and Brandon’s friends (if you can call them friends.) Ethan. He was cool at the beginning but then he was an asshole. I don’t get why he was being that way. Was he jealous? And David’s rich “friends”. What the fuck dude? It was like watching a soap opera when they were bullying David and Brandon.
Ok, these type of behavior can't be a first for either so I don’t know how these two manage to be so blind with their friends. They were complete assholes but somehow they're actions were an important part of the plot in here. It wasn't the best approach but I guess it's ok.
The title. When I read a book I like finding out the reason of the title but after I finish I’m just confused. I don’t know why ‘September’. It’s not like the whole books develop in September or something… I think not even *the thing* happens in September.
Overall, it’s an ok story. Sometimes was kinda of cheesy, especially when they were having sex but it was a good debut, but you know, after reading a book with a similar premise (Archer Through Arrows )
this one just didn’t wow me.
Copy received from author via Indigo Marketing and Design in exchange for an honest review.
February 8, 2017
WOW! You rarely get to see a debut book pack a punch like this one does. It has so many elements I love - age gap, hurt and comfort, stubborn MC's who aren't willing to let go of pride and barriers to get to the HEA. It's just beautiful - really strong writing that evokes in you, the reader, an amazing sense of place and person. It might help that I live in DC too - so I know most of the geography and general locations being discussed. I cried several times - like real big tears. I don't cry much - and my heart hurt for the sadness I was feeling and the fact sometimes bad things happen and good things CAN happen after that if you let them. Heed the other reviews. Mark my words - this one is going to win something in the Members Choice Awards next year - it's absolutely worthy and it will take quite a lot to knock this one out of contention for the hurt comfort category for me. Strongly recommended for my friends who like a expertly crafted story full of feels with two MC's who make you ache and hurt for them. When is the next one coming in the series?
PS The cover is spot on.
PS The cover is spot on.
July 13, 2018
OMG, could someone please hand me some tissues to wipe the tears from my eyes!!!
It took me a while to warm up to David and I thought during some part of the book that he didn't deserve Brandon. But yeah, now I'm so happy that they found each other, that they both were able to overcome all their issues, insecurities and pride and that they finally were able to walk into their future together.
A beautifully written romance, wonderfully narrated by Kale Williams!
4,5 stars
It took me a while to warm up to David and I thought during some part of the book that he didn't deserve Brandon. But yeah, now I'm so happy that they found each other, that they both were able to overcome all their issues, insecurities and pride and that they finally were able to walk into their future together.
A beautifully written romance, wonderfully narrated by Kale Williams!
4,5 stars
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