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Linear Park
Sean and Nick’s life together was a fairy childhood friends who became lovers, high school sweethearts who married after college, both handsome professionals. Sean always enjoyed a few drinks, but after the death of his father, his alcoholism spiraled out of control… and it cost him everything.
When Sean loses his job and becomes too surly and unreasonable to live with, Nick has little choice but to end the relationship. Sean can’t blame Nick for giving up—not after the arguments and the lies—but he longs for the happiness and love they shared before he spoiled everything. He resolves to get sober and win back his husband. But even if he wins his battle with alcoholism, will it be too late to save his marriage?
States of Stories of romance that span every corner of the United States.
When Sean loses his job and becomes too surly and unreasonable to live with, Nick has little choice but to end the relationship. Sean can’t blame Nick for giving up—not after the arguments and the lies—but he longs for the happiness and love they shared before he spoiled everything. He resolves to get sober and win back his husband. But even if he wins his battle with alcoholism, will it be too late to save his marriage?
States of Stories of romance that span every corner of the United States.
- GenresContemporaryM M Romance
61 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 22, 2017
17 people want to read
About the author
Ken Harrison
1 book50 followersBack in the nineties, Ken Harrison wrote erotic short stories for several gay skin magazines and published three short story collections (Daddy’s Boys; Young, Hung and Ready for Action; and Ten Thick Inches). He stopped writing in 2001 to start a small press, Seventh Window Publications, and worked with several great authors and artists. He closed Seventh Window Publications in December 2015. After a year and a half away, he realized that publishing was a big part of his life and went back to writing.
When he isn’t writing, he enjoys cooking, web design, blowing bubbles in the park, dressing up in costumes, and entertaining. Halloween is his favorite holiday and his house is a popular stop for the neighborhood kids. He believes that the only thing better than telling a good story is watching people enjoy his food.
Ken lives in Rhode Island with his husband, who is an avid reader.
When he isn’t writing, he enjoys cooking, web design, blowing bubbles in the park, dressing up in costumes, and entertaining. Halloween is his favorite holiday and his house is a popular stop for the neighborhood kids. He believes that the only thing better than telling a good story is watching people enjoy his food.
Ken lives in Rhode Island with his husband, who is an avid reader.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 23, 2017
I was interested with the blurb of this one, which prompted me to pre-order. I like the idea of established couple working with issues, and this one touches alcoholism in the blurb. Unfortunately the execution didn't work. Mainly because I didn't feel the romance, that "connection" between Sean and Nick, as Sean struggled to battle with his alcoholism.
Why?
Because the story pretty much started in the middle. Sean had moved out. So everything about Sean and Nick that happened before was presented as flashbacks or memory or internal thought. Well, that didn't work for me. I want that emotion. I want to be there before everything collapsed, so at least I can root for both. I didn't get that part.
Plus Sean was separated with Nick pretty much throughout the story (unless it was in memory), and I ended up thinking Sean having more connection with Todd, his friend from AA. Also, Sean's battle against his alcoholism seems to turn for the better really, really quick.
I cannot enjoy romance story if I cannot root for the couple or characters. Sadly, that's the case here.
Why?
Because the story pretty much started in the middle. Sean had moved out. So everything about Sean and Nick that happened before was presented as flashbacks or memory or internal thought. Well, that didn't work for me. I want that emotion. I want to be there before everything collapsed, so at least I can root for both. I didn't get that part.
Plus Sean was separated with Nick pretty much throughout the story (unless it was in memory), and I ended up thinking Sean having more connection with Todd, his friend from AA. Also, Sean's battle against his alcoholism seems to turn for the better really, really quick.
I cannot enjoy romance story if I cannot root for the couple or characters. Sadly, that's the case here.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 2, 2018
Grief and alcohol are a dangerous mixture, and in any situation that involves both, there is a very real danger that things get out of hand. This is exactly what happens to Sean when he loses his father to cancer – “just one more drink” will help him deal with it. But one drink turns into another and another, Sean begins to hide alcohol at home so his husband, Nick, won’t catch him, and when it gets to the point where Nick just can’t deal with it anymore (a full two years later!), Nick tells Sean to get help and rents him a hotel room for a week so Sean can consider his options.
Please find my full review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Please find my full review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
November 14, 2017
I feel a little lost with this review. Linear Park is part of the 'States Of Love' series (according to Amazon UK, it's number 31) so I don't know if it is one of those series where the books are short and are therefore each like a chapter from one large book that has been chopped down into bite-sized pieces so you would have to read them all from the beginning to really understand what is going on. If this is actually a standalone story in its own right, then it simply doesn't work.
The reader joins the story long after the s**t has hit the fan. Sean is grieving the loss of his father (two and a half years ago). He started drinking heavily when his father's cancer was diagnosed and it went from bad to worse till he lost his job and his husband Nick could no longer cope with the lies and deceit and threw him out. The book starts with Sean attending an AA meeting and miraculously goes cold turkey, stops drinking immediately and starts to get his life back on track then Nick forgives everything and they decide to try again.
Now, I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure that the people who are hurt by an alcoholics actions do not just forgive and forget like nothing had ever happened and considering the circumstances, the duration of the problem and trigger, I don't believe that Sean went to a meeting and was suddenly cured - which is what this felt like.
Since, as the reader, I didn't get to know the men when they were friends and fell in love, I have no kind of connection to the happy couple and I fail to have any kind of sympathy for Sean. I know he went through a terrible experience but because the reader doesn't go through it with him, I don't know the character or what kind of man he really is.
So, if this is part of a much larger story and there was a lot more information about them before this, then that absolutely must be read first but if this is it and all we get is the middle section of the story, then it doesn't make much sense. With a beginning and an end, it would be a really interesting story.
Copy received from publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Cheryl from Alpha Book Club
Alpha Book Club
All Alpha Males Accepted
alphabookclub.org
The reader joins the story long after the s**t has hit the fan. Sean is grieving the loss of his father (two and a half years ago). He started drinking heavily when his father's cancer was diagnosed and it went from bad to worse till he lost his job and his husband Nick could no longer cope with the lies and deceit and threw him out. The book starts with Sean attending an AA meeting and miraculously goes cold turkey, stops drinking immediately and starts to get his life back on track then Nick forgives everything and they decide to try again.
Now, I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure that the people who are hurt by an alcoholics actions do not just forgive and forget like nothing had ever happened and considering the circumstances, the duration of the problem and trigger, I don't believe that Sean went to a meeting and was suddenly cured - which is what this felt like.
Since, as the reader, I didn't get to know the men when they were friends and fell in love, I have no kind of connection to the happy couple and I fail to have any kind of sympathy for Sean. I know he went through a terrible experience but because the reader doesn't go through it with him, I don't know the character or what kind of man he really is.
So, if this is part of a much larger story and there was a lot more information about them before this, then that absolutely must be read first but if this is it and all we get is the middle section of the story, then it doesn't make much sense. With a beginning and an end, it would be a really interesting story.
Copy received from publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Cheryl from Alpha Book Club
Alpha Book Club
All Alpha Males Accepted
alphabookclub.org
November 22, 2017
Probably closer to a 2.5 ... :/ I liked the idea of it, but think it could have been much, much better if fleshed out a bit more. Full review coming to www.thenovelapproachreviews.com
December 8, 2017
2.5 Stars
Ok, I’m going for the tearing-off-a-Band-Aid approach and cutting right to the chase… Sadly, this one was mostly a miss for me. I have largely been enjoying the States of Love series from Dreamspinner Press, so at least it was a rare miss, but Linear Park was not at the level of the other stories I have enjoyed from the group. I didn’t hate it. I’m not saying it was the worst book I’ve ever read, or anything at all that extreme. However, I would say that it was just okay, and will probably not be one that sticks with me for any length of time.
I think the main problem, honestly, came down to the length of the story. There simply wasn’t enough character development or enough established between Sean and Nick together to get me to really care about what happened. I mean, we were told that they had been inseparable since kindergarten, and about them finally getting together in high school, and what had happened in college and beyond, but we didn’t get to see any of it. If the author had fleshed things out more by adding in some scenes where we get to see the MCs interacting, showing us how in love they are, and then also some scenes of Sean’s descent into alcoholism and subsequent apathy with regard to his marriage, or anything that didn’t directly affect his next drink, I would have been much more invested in the relationship.
Harrison’s tackling of the subjects of grief (the death of Sean’s dad is what purportedly begins his downward spiral) and substance abuse was commendable; both topics can be tricky and are typically very personal. Again, though, we are only given the CliffsNotes version of what happened, making it difficult to become fully invested in either what happened between Sean and Nick, or Sean’s recovery. I did like Sean and his friend Todd, who acted very much like a sponsor, though he was never referred to as such. But, I would have very much liked if the author had done some type of shared POV, and given us Nick’s perspective at some point.
The last twenty-percent was nice. There was finally a title reference, and it felt like the story began moving forward. Alas, at that point it was a matter of too little, too late, I think. *sigh* I hate how harsh this review sounds, but you can’t win ‘em all, I guess. I’m sure there will be some folks whose opinion may differ, but I would pass on this one, guys.
Reviewed by Jules for The Novel Approach
Ok, I’m going for the tearing-off-a-Band-Aid approach and cutting right to the chase… Sadly, this one was mostly a miss for me. I have largely been enjoying the States of Love series from Dreamspinner Press, so at least it was a rare miss, but Linear Park was not at the level of the other stories I have enjoyed from the group. I didn’t hate it. I’m not saying it was the worst book I’ve ever read, or anything at all that extreme. However, I would say that it was just okay, and will probably not be one that sticks with me for any length of time.
I think the main problem, honestly, came down to the length of the story. There simply wasn’t enough character development or enough established between Sean and Nick together to get me to really care about what happened. I mean, we were told that they had been inseparable since kindergarten, and about them finally getting together in high school, and what had happened in college and beyond, but we didn’t get to see any of it. If the author had fleshed things out more by adding in some scenes where we get to see the MCs interacting, showing us how in love they are, and then also some scenes of Sean’s descent into alcoholism and subsequent apathy with regard to his marriage, or anything that didn’t directly affect his next drink, I would have been much more invested in the relationship.
Harrison’s tackling of the subjects of grief (the death of Sean’s dad is what purportedly begins his downward spiral) and substance abuse was commendable; both topics can be tricky and are typically very personal. Again, though, we are only given the CliffsNotes version of what happened, making it difficult to become fully invested in either what happened between Sean and Nick, or Sean’s recovery. I did like Sean and his friend Todd, who acted very much like a sponsor, though he was never referred to as such. But, I would have very much liked if the author had done some type of shared POV, and given us Nick’s perspective at some point.
The last twenty-percent was nice. There was finally a title reference, and it felt like the story began moving forward. Alas, at that point it was a matter of too little, too late, I think. *sigh* I hate how harsh this review sounds, but you can’t win ‘em all, I guess. I’m sure there will be some folks whose opinion may differ, but I would pass on this one, guys.
Reviewed by Jules for The Novel Approach
December 1, 2017
A good book cover will always catch my eye so when I saw the cover for Ken Harrison's Linear Park, it immediately grabbed my attention. It's very nice, yeah? There is not enough diversity in MM romance so I was really excited to dive into this book. I was especially excited because the book centers on an established couple who have hit a rough patch. Books that focus on a couple who have a long history together are among my favorites; there's just something about that connection that I really enjoy reading about.
In Linear Park, Sean and Nick have known one another almost all their lives. They grew up together, were high school sweethearts, and have got married after college. Things couldn't be going better for them until Sean's father passes away sending Sean on a self-destructive downward spiral until he's an alcoholic who has lost not only his job, but his husband as well. For such a short book, at only 61 pages, Linear Park handles some pretty serious topics, and for the most part, does it well. Due to the length of the book there's not a whole lot of time to devote to Sean's undoing, but what Harrison portrays is heartbreaking and emotional. Sean's unwillingness at first to admit he has a problem, then his anger and his guilt, until finally he hits rock bottom and decides to get help.
There is a lot of telling and not showing in the book, since the story begins after most of the hard stuff is over, too much for me to really connect with Sean as much as I would have liked. Sure his story is gutwrenching and seeing the aftermath of his self-destructive behavior is painful, but I wish there'd been more. With the shortness of the book it's impossible, and it's really quite a shame. It's pretty refreshing to see a couple that is not perfect and has to overcome some pretty serious obstacles to find their happiness once again. All in all, this was a good book, I just wish there'd been more to it. Give it a chance though, it might be for you.
*this review will also be posted on www.diversereader.blogspot.com*
In Linear Park, Sean and Nick have known one another almost all their lives. They grew up together, were high school sweethearts, and have got married after college. Things couldn't be going better for them until Sean's father passes away sending Sean on a self-destructive downward spiral until he's an alcoholic who has lost not only his job, but his husband as well. For such a short book, at only 61 pages, Linear Park handles some pretty serious topics, and for the most part, does it well. Due to the length of the book there's not a whole lot of time to devote to Sean's undoing, but what Harrison portrays is heartbreaking and emotional. Sean's unwillingness at first to admit he has a problem, then his anger and his guilt, until finally he hits rock bottom and decides to get help.
There is a lot of telling and not showing in the book, since the story begins after most of the hard stuff is over, too much for me to really connect with Sean as much as I would have liked. Sure his story is gutwrenching and seeing the aftermath of his self-destructive behavior is painful, but I wish there'd been more. With the shortness of the book it's impossible, and it's really quite a shame. It's pretty refreshing to see a couple that is not perfect and has to overcome some pretty serious obstacles to find their happiness once again. All in all, this was a good book, I just wish there'd been more to it. Give it a chance though, it might be for you.
*this review will also be posted on www.diversereader.blogspot.com*
December 1, 2017
3 Stars
Linear Park tells Sean's story for the most part and how he ended up being an alcoholic and ruined his marriage and lost his job because of it.
Frankly, I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't this. First of all, I didn't really feel like Sean hit rock bottom or really wanted to leave the alcohol. He didn't really struggle all that much with it all, either, even after quitting cold turkey. Then his mother accepted him back and his sort-of sponsor roped him into flipping a house so he could work on it. And after throwing him out, or rather bailing him out of jail and moving Sean out, Nick, his husband, just takes him back in an ending that was really abrupt. I know this is a novella, there's only so much you can fit in 61 pages, however, I really think the author missed a great opportunity here.
Unfortunately, despite the writing being okay, the content wasn't up to par. We were told that Nick and Sean had this whole love story, and about Sean's spiralling into alcoholism after his father was diagnosed with cancer and his subsequent death, but I couldn't really see any chemistry between Nick and Sean or feel sorry for Sean, because his so-called struggle wasn't really that, plus his recovery and the resolution were just too easy and unrealistic. I'm sorry but I don't think I can really recommend this book.
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
Linear Park tells Sean's story for the most part and how he ended up being an alcoholic and ruined his marriage and lost his job because of it.
Frankly, I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't this. First of all, I didn't really feel like Sean hit rock bottom or really wanted to leave the alcohol. He didn't really struggle all that much with it all, either, even after quitting cold turkey. Then his mother accepted him back and his sort-of sponsor roped him into flipping a house so he could work on it. And after throwing him out, or rather bailing him out of jail and moving Sean out, Nick, his husband, just takes him back in an ending that was really abrupt. I know this is a novella, there's only so much you can fit in 61 pages, however, I really think the author missed a great opportunity here.
Unfortunately, despite the writing being okay, the content wasn't up to par. We were told that Nick and Sean had this whole love story, and about Sean's spiralling into alcoholism after his father was diagnosed with cancer and his subsequent death, but I couldn't really see any chemistry between Nick and Sean or feel sorry for Sean, because his so-called struggle wasn't really that, plus his recovery and the resolution were just too easy and unrealistic. I'm sorry but I don't think I can really recommend this book.
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
November 20, 2017
Sean lots his father 2 and a half years ago and his life has spiraled out of control. He has lost his job, and his husband finally not able to take anymore has kicked him out.
In a way I can relate to Nick, Sean’s husband has had an alcoholic husband. However, Sean made recovery look so easy and with no mishaps or backsliding which having been there I felt was unrealistic.
Now having said that and taking in this is romantic fiction. I like to believe it could work this way and I would love to see this in a full story, how they met, the downslide, the recovery, and an H E A.
In a way I can relate to Nick, Sean’s husband has had an alcoholic husband. However, Sean made recovery look so easy and with no mishaps or backsliding which having been there I felt was unrealistic.
Now having said that and taking in this is romantic fiction. I like to believe it could work this way and I would love to see this in a full story, how they met, the downslide, the recovery, and an H E A.
December 4, 2018
Really is Sean’s story as he recounts how he had it all and then hit rock bottom with his drinking. We get a small sight of he and Nick in happier times, much more of the destruction his alcoholism took on him and his family life.
Then we see how Sean is slowly putting his life back together and we see how Nick is there for him, though it takes Sean longer to see this. What we see of Nick is him doing his best to do his best for Sean and be there for when he is ready to reconnect. So more of an affirmation of Nicks’s love than a romance in traditional sense but entertaining all the same.
Then we see how Sean is slowly putting his life back together and we see how Nick is there for him, though it takes Sean longer to see this. What we see of Nick is him doing his best to do his best for Sean and be there for when he is ready to reconnect. So more of an affirmation of Nicks’s love than a romance in traditional sense but entertaining all the same.
November 14, 2019
A fine read, nothing outstanding but nothing bad about it either. I wish we got a bit more romance but it was still a good little read.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews