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Swimmer
Four years ago, Bazil's lover left him without so much as a note. Just like that. Never came home from work. From that fateful day, Bazil becomes a recluse, until he meets the Swimmer, a young Olympian who will change his life forever. This is a beautiful love story of loss, tragic circumstance, and hope. It will leave you applauding for more.
- GenresM M Romance
103 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2014
1 person is currently reading
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 3, 2014
A review by The Blogger Girls.
This is a rather sweet story about a guy looking for more than a one-night stand. Basil is somewhat of a recluse, living by himself in a house on the beach after his boyfriend walked out on him without so much as a word. He has closed himself off from the world spending his time enjoying the beach and painting.
One day, he notices a man swimming in the ocean. He watches the man day after day until finally making a move to meet him. After performing some research, Basil learns that his new interest is Olympic swimmer, William. Will prefers to train in the ocean, much to the chagrin of his coach.
The two share an immediate attraction, but Basil refuses to take things further, as he is not looking for a one-night stand. He fears doing so will only end up with Will walking away, so they continue to get to know one another instead.
My biggest issue with this story was the writing style. By the end, I still don’t think I was quite used to it. It has almost a poetic feel to it, but it is written in second person, past tense, I believe, which continually threw me off an had me rereading to understand it correctly.
“By this time, you’re both whispering, standing an inch away from each other’s noses.
Your lips meet. The taste of wine in his mouth. You kiss him over and over again…”
Every time it said “you’re,” I thought he was talking about the other character and had to backtrack to read it right. I believe an unfortunate side affect of this style was that it somewhat distances the reader from the characters. It prevents you from really feeling a connection with them.
There were a few other niggles, mostly in regards to unanswered questions, about the ex and why he just up and left, and why he just showed back up when he did, as well as behavior surrounding the accident. I expected Basil to have a bit more of a harder time with his resulting disability.
This is a short story, but there is a bit of a slow burn to their relationship. The few smexy times are well written and steamy. I enjoyed watching Basil and Will taking things slowly but was really happy when they were a bit further along in their relationship. I will definitely be giving Mr. Harris another look and would love to see something in a more traditional style.
June 25, 2014
Louis Harris is a very eloquent writer as he manages to convey his magnetic personality in his works. “Swimmer” is written with the rainbow colors of his heart and it hits the reader like a thousand needles. But that's what literature should be all about - if it's not sharp as a knife, if it does not make a reader cry, then why bother? The novella is deep and profound. It is as deep as it is easy to read, if at all possible. “Swimmer” is also exceptionally well done in terms of truth and humor intertwined! In a way it is profound in showing special kind of friendship between two loving men. Brilliant rhythm, too. The author does not miss a beat! At some point through the book I felt – if it gets any more deep or beautiful, i won't be able to continue reading without tears! How does Louis do it so perfectly, so unique?! Bravo! The joys and tears of the two beautiful men are diamonds, worthy to be made into a Necklace of Love, shiny and mesmerizing.
June 22, 2014
Where did the time go? Basil and William's story is gleaming, like a lantern in the darkness of the woods... Or, rather, like a lighthouse in that endless ocean.
But it is also dynamic, and does not let you go. It makes the reader get scared (ohhh what if he says no?), and then euphoric (he likes me!!!), keeping us on goose-bumpy edge, and all of a sudden it is peaceful (what wine would you like - whatever you're having!), but only to push the reader down the slippery path, following the characters...
Last night I read and I knew i had to go to bed, and it was unsatisfying, to stop right there. Not knowing what happened next. But today I came for more, to get excited, to breathe that ocean air, and to rest my flustered brain in Louis's work.
I must admit, Louis, I dwell among the beauty of your soul's landscapes. I come to watch your heroes, to inhale the smell of love, to stare in the eyes of a gorgeous Olympic swimmer, and to go through joy and heartbreak with them.
If I read it without knowing you, say, just a novel, I’d imagine the person who wrote it. He comes off as a very sweet personality, and he has a soft side, too. I’d add extraordinary imagination (truly, my dear!), creative mind and bold character. All of this suggests a passionate heart and an energetic soul. Wow, these are some precious traits I just saw in the author of “Swimmer"!
You have an easy style intertwined with a lot of dialogue, and I like it very much. The characters' thoughts are easy to grasp right away, and that resonates with me a lot.
The heroes are focused on the goal of wanting to love each other, it's great fun to watch them achieve that goal. What else? Yeah, perfect transition from scene to scene, and story leaves a cheerful feeling! What else do you need from a romance and drama with the ocean view?! Great work, my friend!
But it is also dynamic, and does not let you go. It makes the reader get scared (ohhh what if he says no?), and then euphoric (he likes me!!!), keeping us on goose-bumpy edge, and all of a sudden it is peaceful (what wine would you like - whatever you're having!), but only to push the reader down the slippery path, following the characters...
Last night I read and I knew i had to go to bed, and it was unsatisfying, to stop right there. Not knowing what happened next. But today I came for more, to get excited, to breathe that ocean air, and to rest my flustered brain in Louis's work.
I must admit, Louis, I dwell among the beauty of your soul's landscapes. I come to watch your heroes, to inhale the smell of love, to stare in the eyes of a gorgeous Olympic swimmer, and to go through joy and heartbreak with them.
If I read it without knowing you, say, just a novel, I’d imagine the person who wrote it. He comes off as a very sweet personality, and he has a soft side, too. I’d add extraordinary imagination (truly, my dear!), creative mind and bold character. All of this suggests a passionate heart and an energetic soul. Wow, these are some precious traits I just saw in the author of “Swimmer"!
You have an easy style intertwined with a lot of dialogue, and I like it very much. The characters' thoughts are easy to grasp right away, and that resonates with me a lot.
The heroes are focused on the goal of wanting to love each other, it's great fun to watch them achieve that goal. What else? Yeah, perfect transition from scene to scene, and story leaves a cheerful feeling! What else do you need from a romance and drama with the ocean view?! Great work, my friend!
August 8, 2014
I really wanted to love this novel since it is South African based. But the novel felt dry, like it had no real life. I think this is because of the narrative which felt like our MC was reciting facts rather than expressing emotions. In all the major events happening from the Ex to the new love and the accident I never felt real raw emotions. These were life changing experiences.
This is a side note but bothered me. There are several potential plots mentioned which was never fully explored.
Why did the Ex leave?
Prison was mentioned once, was this figurative or literal?
The age difference was glossed over, only thought about never discussed.
The accidents consequences should have been more far reaching in his life, rather than one argument.
His emotion about his Ex being close again and moving on...
The story had potential, but fell flat in my opinion.
BTW for William our other MC (not mentioned by name in the synopsis) I imagined he would look like South African swimming gold medalist Cameron van der Burgh. Tall, Dark, Young and Sexy.
This is a side note but bothered me. There are several potential plots mentioned which was never fully explored.
Why did the Ex leave?
Prison was mentioned once, was this figurative or literal?
The age difference was glossed over, only thought about never discussed.
The accidents consequences should have been more far reaching in his life, rather than one argument.
His emotion about his Ex being close again and moving on...
The story had potential, but fell flat in my opinion.
BTW for William our other MC (not mentioned by name in the synopsis) I imagined he would look like South African swimming gold medalist Cameron van der Burgh. Tall, Dark, Young and Sexy.
November 29, 2014
Basil lives a secluded life at his house on the beach, painting and mourning the love he lost when his boyfriend left him. He is alone, but he finds solace in the loneliness, afraid to love again and refusing to give in to desire that would only lead to a one night stand. Then he sees a man on the beach, swimming, and he watches him every day until he works up the nerve to talk to him.
William is an Olympic swimmer that prefers the fresh water of the beach and sand beneath his feet to the chlorine of the pool, much to his coach’s dismay. The attraction Basil and Will share is undeniable, but Basil will not be just a notch, so he keeps Will at arms length. This just gives them the time to really get to know each other and, eventually, the chemistry kicks in and passion ignites. But an ex that won’t go away and an unfortunate accident threatens to break apart their fragile union.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching Basil and Will really get to know each other before they jumped into bed, you don’t always get that type of character development and I thought that was refreshing. There were a few typos and the tense bounced back and forth a few times, which was confusing, and there were some things left unfinished in the end. I wanted to know why Basil’s boyfriend left, what was the purpose of prison being mentioned and the aftermath of the accident threw me, just to name a few. So while I liked the connection between the characters, there were a few hiccups with the story itself.
I can only hope that Harris was dangling carrots and intends to write a sequel and tie up all those pesky loose ends. Still worth the read, especially if you are looking for a short story with great character development.
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *
William is an Olympic swimmer that prefers the fresh water of the beach and sand beneath his feet to the chlorine of the pool, much to his coach’s dismay. The attraction Basil and Will share is undeniable, but Basil will not be just a notch, so he keeps Will at arms length. This just gives them the time to really get to know each other and, eventually, the chemistry kicks in and passion ignites. But an ex that won’t go away and an unfortunate accident threatens to break apart their fragile union.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching Basil and Will really get to know each other before they jumped into bed, you don’t always get that type of character development and I thought that was refreshing. There were a few typos and the tense bounced back and forth a few times, which was confusing, and there were some things left unfinished in the end. I wanted to know why Basil’s boyfriend left, what was the purpose of prison being mentioned and the aftermath of the accident threw me, just to name a few. So while I liked the connection between the characters, there were a few hiccups with the story itself.
I can only hope that Harris was dangling carrots and intends to write a sequel and tie up all those pesky loose ends. Still worth the read, especially if you are looking for a short story with great character development.
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *
September 1, 2016
Why was Corneles imprisoned? I wanted to know. Why wasn't Ruan more insisting or Corneles on Will and Baz? One question why didn't this shark attack Ruan in open sea but Basil in his boat. Seems a bit curious. So nevertheless a good story.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews