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Runaway Bay #1
Runaway Train
When nineteen-year-old Denis Murphy sneaks onto an exclusive overnight train from Dublin to Belfast, he wasn’t counting on being caught. Or falling in love. But he has some trust issues to overcome first.
Oliver Lloyd is famous just for being rich, but he doesn’t let it affect him the way it does his sister. When he is asked to cut the ribbon at the launch of Ireland’s first extravagant overnight train service, he jumps at the chance to get away from his money-grabbing friends and his narcissistic ex-boyfriend and clear his head.
But when Denis and Oliver are thrust together onboard a luxury steam train, the screeching brakes won’t be the only thing making sparks fly.
If only they could get past their differences.
Oliver Lloyd is famous just for being rich, but he doesn’t let it affect him the way it does his sister. When he is asked to cut the ribbon at the launch of Ireland’s first extravagant overnight train service, he jumps at the chance to get away from his money-grabbing friends and his narcissistic ex-boyfriend and clear his head.
But when Denis and Oliver are thrust together onboard a luxury steam train, the screeching brakes won’t be the only thing making sparks fly.
If only they could get past their differences.
268 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 5, 2022
36 people are currently reading
601 people want to read
About the author
Simon Doyle
7 books128 followersSimon Doyle (he/him) was born and raised in Ireland. He discovered that he could travel the world on a shoestring by reading books at a very young age. When he won a local poetry competition at the age of nine, it sparked a lifetime love of words. But he swears never to write poetry again.
His first novel release was Runaway Train, book 1 of the Runaway Bay series. The follow-up, Runaway Skies, released in January 2023.
He lives with a neurotic rescue dog, and Lucas, his human soulmate. They met in kindergarten. Where all good stories begin.
His first novel release was Runaway Train, book 1 of the Runaway Bay series. The follow-up, Runaway Skies, released in January 2023.
He lives with a neurotic rescue dog, and Lucas, his human soulmate. They met in kindergarten. Where all good stories begin.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
February 14, 2024
A simple queer love story that sometimes get bogged down by the side characters and endless descriptions of everyone’s backstories. It also doesn’t help that the characters don’t meet until almost a hundred pages in. I think some books feel the need to add a lot of extra details that aren’t always necessary, but simple stories are always some of my favorites. In the movie Before Sunrise (about two people also meeting on a train), the two main characters meet within the first two or three minutes, then they’re together for the rest of the runtime. That’s all I ever really want from these kinds of stories. This is basically my long-winded way of saying that I think the book should have started (and ended) on the train and have us learn about Denis and Oliver’s respective backstories through conversation.
That’s not to say I didn’t really enjoy this book! Despite its darker tone and depressing opening chapter, the story is ultimately an uplifting one. The theme of hopping on a train and running away from it all just to find your real home is one that I could definitely get behind. And I just know that it would have been life changing to me if I read it when I was younger. I do think the ending was a little too neat and tidy for my liking pertaining to a certain (homophobic parent) character. Personally, I’m not big on forgiveness when it comes to those kinds of people, but it’s whatever.
Denis and Oliver are also likable enough characters that I couldn't help but root for from the get-go, despite the book doing that thing I don’t like where the author uses a famous actor to describe Oliver’s appearance, also, his “boo-hoo-I’m-rich-so-I-never-know-any-one's-true-feelings" shtick wears thin by the second page of his first pov chapter. Otherwise, Cinderella-type stories with queer characters always hits different for me. Ultimately, I think this book reads like a young adult book. That can be a good or bad thing, but in this case, it’s definitely a good thing. Final note: trains are really cool. Love myself some trains.
That’s not to say I didn’t really enjoy this book! Despite its darker tone and depressing opening chapter, the story is ultimately an uplifting one. The theme of hopping on a train and running away from it all just to find your real home is one that I could definitely get behind. And I just know that it would have been life changing to me if I read it when I was younger. I do think the ending was a little too neat and tidy for my liking pertaining to a certain (homophobic parent) character. Personally, I’m not big on forgiveness when it comes to those kinds of people, but it’s whatever.
Denis and Oliver are also likable enough characters that I couldn't help but root for from the get-go, despite the book doing that thing I don’t like where the author uses a famous actor to describe Oliver’s appearance, also, his “boo-hoo-I’m-rich-so-I-never-know-any-one's-true-feelings" shtick wears thin by the second page of his first pov chapter. Otherwise, Cinderella-type stories with queer characters always hits different for me. Ultimately, I think this book reads like a young adult book. That can be a good or bad thing, but in this case, it’s definitely a good thing. Final note: trains are really cool. Love myself some trains.
August 23, 2022
A pleasant read following two troubled young men finding each other on an overnight train trip, overcoming their demons of the past and the present.
It's bit rough in somes places (I didn't like how the mother's arc was resolved) and maybe a bit rushed, but overall an easy and uplifting story!
It's bit rough in somes places (I didn't like how the mother's arc was resolved) and maybe a bit rushed, but overall an easy and uplifting story!
July 10, 2022
A good meeting between two troubled souls who exposed themselves and find balance with the other
November 1, 2022
Gostei muito desta história. Aborda o assunto LGBTQ de uma forma mais séria. Através do Denis e do Oliver vemos que não importa se se é rico ou pobre, os problemas que se enfrentam quando se "sai do armário" estão lá das mais variadas formas, e a forma como cada um lida com esses problemas pode ditar a vida que levam daí para a frente. Gostei do conteúdo e da interação das personagens, inclusive as secundárias, que tornaram esta história ainda mais realista. Com certeza vou continuar a seguir este autor.
January 25, 2024
This is a whimsical romance based on a chance encounter between two people who meet at just the right point in their lives . . . on a slow train to Belfast.
I love the side character Tom, who distracts Denis from repeating his dad's mistake, and Oliver's assistant Belle who 'get's him, often before Oliver can. Denis and Oliver, despite their pasts, are safe in the hands of their sidekicks, so is the tone, and so, dear reader, are we.
Delightful trip, despite the rockiness of both MCs' pasts!
I love the side character Tom, who distracts Denis from repeating his dad's mistake, and Oliver's assistant Belle who 'get's him, often before Oliver can. Denis and Oliver, despite their pasts, are safe in the hands of their sidekicks, so is the tone, and so, dear reader, are we.
Delightful trip, despite the rockiness of both MCs' pasts!
July 2, 2023
So... I finished reading this debut novel. And I didn't hate it, though it was predictable, and Oliver's present doesn't feel like it comes from his past, and it was so uneven. I see where this author has learned some writing craft, and where he could improve. He has potential. But this book is just promise of that, just touches of good, just enough that I kept reading. The character arc for Denis is very good. The ending is utterly fantasy, and I like fantasy, but it didn't fit given Oliver's fame.
So, I may revisit this author years down the road, he has promise. Just not quite there yet, for me.
So, I may revisit this author years down the road, he has promise. Just not quite there yet, for me.
July 6, 2022
If you think playing a game of Twister with the man you've got the hots for on an elegant, historic train sounds like a good time, then you’ll enjoy Runaway Train. It’s a wonderful new adult romance set in Ireland featuring two young men – as different as can be – but both dealing with loneliness and rejection.
I requested to review this book because I love to discover – and bring attention to – first time novelists. You would never know from the interesting plot, the creative backdrop for the story, the thorough character development, and flawless editing that this is Irishman Simon Doyle's first published novel. This kind of romance is perfect for me: no obvious tropes or overused plotlines, none of the sameness of so many MM books. This is a unique and heartwarming story.
Nineteen-year-old Denis appears to be struggling with depression, hopelessness, the pain of rejection, and internalized homophobia. He’s no stranger to guilt and self-hatred, either. He's facing a crisis at home and is in a terrible state of mind when Tom, a friend’s brother, finds him and convinces Denis to join him on an adventure. The resplendent Duchess of Dublin stream train is passing through town on its way from Dublin to Belfast. Tom’s idea of a rockin’ good time is sneaking onto the train and stowing away in the luggage carriage. He drags Denis along for the ride.
Oliver is the heir to a fortune. Because of his family's extreme wealth, he's famous, but only because he’s rich. He hates the attention of strangers who want to glom onto his celebrity status and “friends” who only want to associate with him because of his fat wallet. Simply put, his life is not his own. He yearns for a quiet life and dreams of running away from his dysfunctional family and their expectations.
When Ollie meets Denis on the train, he's intrigued by his bad boy image. There’s an ethereal feel to their budding relationship, a sense of destiny. They both feel something more than friendship. But Denis doesn’t trust easily:
“The fear came not from inexperience with a man, but from the potential for rejection. This was not about sex but about feelings. He feared rejection of his soul, not his body.”
Denis and Ollie banter sweetly and share lots of smooches. They grow intimate without any explicit bedroom (or train car) activity. This book is very low heat but anything more wouldn’t be fitting for this innocent novel. (I do love this quote, though: “Oliver read the words on the menu but couldn’t think of eating anything other than Denis.” ) One of the best scenes is when they're lying on the ground in a playground in the middle of the night, baring their souls to each other.
There’s not much of a supporting cast here but it’s not needed since the bulk of the story occurs on just one night. Ollie’s personal assistant, Annabelle, is a loyal friend. It’s good to know he has her in his corner. Tom is an utterly delightful character, a fun guy who brings much humor to the book. His final conversation with Denis is touching.
Denis and Ollie’s story is just beginning but you can already sense that being together and sharing a dream for the future will provide them both with much needed stability and nurturing from each other. This is the first book in the Runaway Bay series so hopefully we’ll see more of this couple. I certainly look forward to more of Mr. Doyle's writing. His bio says he met his soulmate in kindergarten. If that’s not the perfect basis for a romance writer, I don’t know what is! I highly recommended Runaway Train.
ARC kindly provided to Love Bytes Reviews in exchange for an honest review.
I requested to review this book because I love to discover – and bring attention to – first time novelists. You would never know from the interesting plot, the creative backdrop for the story, the thorough character development, and flawless editing that this is Irishman Simon Doyle's first published novel. This kind of romance is perfect for me: no obvious tropes or overused plotlines, none of the sameness of so many MM books. This is a unique and heartwarming story.
Nineteen-year-old Denis appears to be struggling with depression, hopelessness, the pain of rejection, and internalized homophobia. He’s no stranger to guilt and self-hatred, either. He's facing a crisis at home and is in a terrible state of mind when Tom, a friend’s brother, finds him and convinces Denis to join him on an adventure. The resplendent Duchess of Dublin stream train is passing through town on its way from Dublin to Belfast. Tom’s idea of a rockin’ good time is sneaking onto the train and stowing away in the luggage carriage. He drags Denis along for the ride.
Oliver is the heir to a fortune. Because of his family's extreme wealth, he's famous, but only because he’s rich. He hates the attention of strangers who want to glom onto his celebrity status and “friends” who only want to associate with him because of his fat wallet. Simply put, his life is not his own. He yearns for a quiet life and dreams of running away from his dysfunctional family and their expectations.
When Ollie meets Denis on the train, he's intrigued by his bad boy image. There’s an ethereal feel to their budding relationship, a sense of destiny. They both feel something more than friendship. But Denis doesn’t trust easily:
“The fear came not from inexperience with a man, but from the potential for rejection. This was not about sex but about feelings. He feared rejection of his soul, not his body.”
Denis and Ollie banter sweetly and share lots of smooches. They grow intimate without any explicit bedroom (or train car) activity. This book is very low heat but anything more wouldn’t be fitting for this innocent novel. (I do love this quote, though: “Oliver read the words on the menu but couldn’t think of eating anything other than Denis.” ) One of the best scenes is when they're lying on the ground in a playground in the middle of the night, baring their souls to each other.
There’s not much of a supporting cast here but it’s not needed since the bulk of the story occurs on just one night. Ollie’s personal assistant, Annabelle, is a loyal friend. It’s good to know he has her in his corner. Tom is an utterly delightful character, a fun guy who brings much humor to the book. His final conversation with Denis is touching.
Denis and Ollie’s story is just beginning but you can already sense that being together and sharing a dream for the future will provide them both with much needed stability and nurturing from each other. This is the first book in the Runaway Bay series so hopefully we’ll see more of this couple. I certainly look forward to more of Mr. Doyle's writing. His bio says he met his soulmate in kindergarten. If that’s not the perfect basis for a romance writer, I don’t know what is! I highly recommended Runaway Train.
ARC kindly provided to Love Bytes Reviews in exchange for an honest review.
August 11, 2022
Sadly, this has really good elements, but unfortunately the plot is very limited and would have deserved a better development. The two characters are insanely interesting and harmonize with each other in a very nice way. I wish there had been more content. Sometimes short books are unfortunately just too limited.
For this being a debut, I give it an extra star. I think the author has real talent and maybe just too much has fallen victim to the editor.
On top of that, it has some nice funny and also heartfelt phrases that I just loved.
Alcohol softened the edges of his busy mind and made him slow down enough to relax. He was never tested for ADHD, but his mum swore blind he was dipped in crazy cream at birth.
Life is like that—if you get through the day without killing yourself, something wonderful happens.
For this being a debut, I give it an extra star. I think the author has real talent and maybe just too much has fallen victim to the editor.
On top of that, it has some nice funny and also heartfelt phrases that I just loved.
Alcohol softened the edges of his busy mind and made him slow down enough to relax. He was never tested for ADHD, but his mum swore blind he was dipped in crazy cream at birth.
Life is like that—if you get through the day without killing yourself, something wonderful happens.
July 10, 2022
Overall, a good debut.
Structured as a dual narrative, alternating between the perspectives of Denis Murphy (19), a college student, and Oliver Lloyd (25), the son of a media mogul.
The initial attraction between the two protagonists develops fairly quickly to a forever kind of romance, as the two men open up to each other over the course of their ten-hour train journey. Apart from kissing, there are no explicit sexual scenes, which may be off-putting to some MM romance readers.
The book deals with some pretty dark themes (homophobia, self-harm, suicidal thoughts and substance abuse) but Denis's fellow stowaway, Tom, and Oliver's personal assistant, Annabelle, add much-needed humour to the story.
I am not sure the side story about Annabelle's father was necessary as it also dealt with some heavy themes, which were not relevant to the central storyline. I also found Denis's mother's changing perspective to his coming out rather quick (considering her initial reaction) but it did make the ending happier and more positive.
Overall, the book had a strong opening, good plot and character development, a consistent and mature writing style, and a happily ever after.
I am intrigued enough to look forward to reading the second story in the series, Runaway Ridge.
Structured as a dual narrative, alternating between the perspectives of Denis Murphy (19), a college student, and Oliver Lloyd (25), the son of a media mogul.
The initial attraction between the two protagonists develops fairly quickly to a forever kind of romance, as the two men open up to each other over the course of their ten-hour train journey. Apart from kissing, there are no explicit sexual scenes, which may be off-putting to some MM romance readers.
The book deals with some pretty dark themes (homophobia, self-harm, suicidal thoughts and substance abuse) but Denis's fellow stowaway, Tom, and Oliver's personal assistant, Annabelle, add much-needed humour to the story.
I am not sure the side story about Annabelle's father was necessary as it also dealt with some heavy themes, which were not relevant to the central storyline. I also found Denis's mother's changing perspective to his coming out rather quick (considering her initial reaction) but it did make the ending happier and more positive.
Overall, the book had a strong opening, good plot and character development, a consistent and mature writing style, and a happily ever after.
I am intrigued enough to look forward to reading the second story in the series, Runaway Ridge.
September 17, 2024
Okay, so I was expecting some angst and this book delivered. BUT THE BANTER!!!!! I’m a sucker for the teasing banter between love interests (especially enemies or rivals to lovers) and it works so well between Denis and Oliver!
I will say there’s some heavy stuff here. I’m glad Simon added trigger warnings because I have personally experienced and it let me prepare myself. The whole grumpy x sunshine, lost puppy, and Mr. I’m Not As Perfect As You Think themes blended nicely as well.
Runaway Train certainly feels like a “beginning” story - like this is just the start of a long journey for Denis and Oliver. (As long as it doesn’t make me as frustrated or disappointed as Husband Material did with Luc, this is going to be a more enjoyable series for me!) I seriously cannot wait to read Runaway Ridge!
I will say there’s some heavy stuff here. I’m glad Simon added trigger warnings because I have personally experienced and it let me prepare myself. The whole grumpy x sunshine, lost puppy, and Mr. I’m Not As Perfect As You Think themes blended nicely as well.
Runaway Train certainly feels like a “beginning” story - like this is just the start of a long journey for Denis and Oliver. (As long as it doesn’t make me as frustrated or disappointed as Husband Material did with Luc, this is going to be a more enjoyable series for me!) I seriously cannot wait to read Runaway Ridge!
Read
February 7, 2023Super cute
Superbly cute and silly, this fast-paced romance will put a smile on your face! Much enjoyed, and recommended. Will buy the second book too!
Superbly cute and silly, this fast-paced romance will put a smile on your face! Much enjoyed, and recommended. Will buy the second book too!
July 12, 2022
You never find out how old Oliver is.
Sweet.
Sweet.
July 6, 2022
After a disastrous coming out to his mum, nineteen-year-old Denis Murphy sneaks on to an exclusive overnight train from Dublin to Belfast and is counting on not getting caught. Oliver Lloyd is famous just for being rich, and when he is asked to cut the ribbon at the launch of Ireland’s first extravagant overnight train service, he jumps at the chance to get away from his narcissistic ex-boyfriend and money-grabbing friends. Denis and Oliver are thrust together by chance, and the screeching brakes won’t be the only thing making sparks fly.
I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this from the author and I ended up binging it in one sitting. I was hooked from the first page and ended up being up until 2am to finish it. I absolutely loved seeing Denis and Oliver meet and begin to fall for each other. The book was also really funny and had some amazing side characters (Tom and Sally were two of my favourites!) One of the things I loved the most about it was that it contained several subjects that were quite dark, but I thought that these were handled brilliantly. We need more books like this!
This is a fantastic debut novel and I’m looking forward to reading Simon’s future books
I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this from the author and I ended up binging it in one sitting. I was hooked from the first page and ended up being up until 2am to finish it. I absolutely loved seeing Denis and Oliver meet and begin to fall for each other. The book was also really funny and had some amazing side characters (Tom and Sally were two of my favourites!) One of the things I loved the most about it was that it contained several subjects that were quite dark, but I thought that these were handled brilliantly. We need more books like this!
This is a fantastic debut novel and I’m looking forward to reading Simon’s future books
April 26, 2023
Nicely done m/m romance set in Ireland. Having lived there once, I was invested in the story early on and wasn’t disappointed. There’s a handful of sentences and metaphors of which the author should have thought better, but these quickly fall by the wayside as the characters, plot, and pacing whisk you into the world of playboy Oliver Lloyd and college student Denis Murphy.
A strong first novel and I’ll likely read the second in the series.
A strong first novel and I’ll likely read the second in the series.
July 20, 2022
4/5 Stars. Overall, a promising debut. And since it's a debut, I'm going to give it a pass for that ending. The characters have really great chemistry, and a great plot and the romance would've been top-notch if it spanned months or even days. Instead, it only spanned one night, and by the morning, they were basically married. I just wished it was more developed so that it didn't feel rushed.
dnf
January 25, 2025A great book for people who are feeling happy or have had a nice day. This book will quickly kill any nice feelings about life you might have been having cause life sucks and people suck even more. DNF because I skipped the graphic descriptions of unhappiness and other scenes that make me think trigger warnings are not just some moder BS people can use to call our generation oversensitive. I can be good about... let's call it tragedy. You don't always connect with books which means neither the good nor the bad stuff actually touches you, emotionally. This was such a chain reaction or bad stuff I just went numb and flipped pages to see some slimmer of happiness because these guys had it rough. Or at least that's how it looks and for people who don't mind spoilers let me tell you I am no longer sure. In good news, the ending is good, it gives them a HEA (or HFN) and he goes home and his mum is really trying to be accepting and understanding. Dude has Issues but they feel more like 'untreated depression, self-harm, social anxiety and ADHD' then 'his life sucks'. He attends university and is not necessarily dependent on the mother who rejected him, has supportive sister and turns out, a good friend. He lost his dad but that was a long time ago so his situation seems stable and it's his mental state that make his story start with "I didn't start my day wanting to jump off a bridge, that came later". Oliver, the rich love interest has, ironically, more to complain about mostly because you can easily trace specific situations and facts to his mental problems of addiction, avoidance and anxiety and maybe some depression. IRL, you don't want to just toss such terms around but this book is an overachiever in not calling things properly and just providing plenty of scenes to draw your conclusions from. Also, the 24 hours. Or less. I think there's some value in writing a story within such a tiny window of time but this isn't the right kind of story for that. (Spoilers again). Denis wakes up content, almost happy, he tells his mum he's gay, gets thrown out (it's 23.12) and since he is now kinda homeless and unwanted and sad, he might as well unalive himself. 12 hours or what later, he has a rich boyfriend, a gorgeous house on the beach (in Britain, mind you) and his family loves him. The dramatic shift really didn't help my poor impression of this sad piece of literature. Not for me.
September 2, 2024
I flinched at "Amber, the foreign nanny," because uh can't you at least attribute a country of origin to her? Words convey attitude so subtly at times: there's here, and then there's foreign, "foreign" being the complete and sufficient descriptor for the undifferentiated mass of everybody who isn't the "us" of here.
Moving on. One of the two MCs, Oliver, is rich and beautiful, and famous for being rich, beautiful, and a party boy, though he's recently stopped using alcohol, coke, etc. He looks like James Dean, whom "the crazy women of the world loved"; the crazy women, "therefore, fell in love with Oliver, too."
Hmm. Then we learn that when Oliver was 15, "some woman sent him pictures of her Brazilian, which was the last thing he wanted to see." In fact, everywhere he goes, women mack on him (why doesn't he have a bodyguard, by the way?). Now he doesn't know how many followers he has on social media, "or how many of them were crazy women who wanted to share close-up pictures of their intimate parts."
Are you sensing a theme? Because I'm sensing a theme.
And then *drumroll* one of these rapey women not only plays grab-ass with Oliver but also slips her underpants into his pocket, which brings us to this:
*another drumroll*
“The words ‘old women’ and ‘knickers’ really shouldn’t be in the same sentence.”
And that's a wrap.
Moving on. One of the two MCs, Oliver, is rich and beautiful, and famous for being rich, beautiful, and a party boy, though he's recently stopped using alcohol, coke, etc. He looks like James Dean, whom "the crazy women of the world loved"; the crazy women, "therefore, fell in love with Oliver, too."
Hmm. Then we learn that when Oliver was 15, "some woman sent him pictures of her Brazilian, which was the last thing he wanted to see." In fact, everywhere he goes, women mack on him (why doesn't he have a bodyguard, by the way?). Now he doesn't know how many followers he has on social media, "or how many of them were crazy women who wanted to share close-up pictures of their intimate parts."
Are you sensing a theme? Because I'm sensing a theme.
And then *drumroll* one of these rapey women not only plays grab-ass with Oliver but also slips her underpants into his pocket, which brings us to this:
*another drumroll*
“The words ‘old women’ and ‘knickers’ really shouldn’t be in the same sentence.”
And that's a wrap.
April 12, 2023
I enjoyed this once it got going. The beginning was a little long and contained more detail than was needed but once the main characters meet I really liked it.
"When nineteen-year-old Denis Murphy sneaks onto an exclusive overnight train from Dublin to Belfast, he wasn’t counting on being caught. Or falling in love. But he has some trust issues to overcome first.
Oliver Lloyd is famous just for being rich, but he doesn’t let it affect him the way it does his sister. When he is asked to cut the ribbon at the launch of Ireland’s first extravagant overnight train service, he jumps at the chance to get away from his money-grabbing friends and his narcissistic ex-boyfriend and clear his head.
But when Denis and Oliver are thrust together onboard a luxury steam train, the screeching brakes won’t be the only thing making sparks fly.
If only they could get past their differences."
Doyles writing is quite beautiful and it contains some really wonderful quotes and imagery.
Would definitely recommend to those that enjoy a good love story.
"When nineteen-year-old Denis Murphy sneaks onto an exclusive overnight train from Dublin to Belfast, he wasn’t counting on being caught. Or falling in love. But he has some trust issues to overcome first.
Oliver Lloyd is famous just for being rich, but he doesn’t let it affect him the way it does his sister. When he is asked to cut the ribbon at the launch of Ireland’s first extravagant overnight train service, he jumps at the chance to get away from his money-grabbing friends and his narcissistic ex-boyfriend and clear his head.
But when Denis and Oliver are thrust together onboard a luxury steam train, the screeching brakes won’t be the only thing making sparks fly.
If only they could get past their differences."
Doyles writing is quite beautiful and it contains some really wonderful quotes and imagery.
Would definitely recommend to those that enjoy a good love story.
April 23, 2024
There’s some very good writing in this overstuffed, mildly confusing novel. It definitely feels like a first novel, with everything thrown in, and some of it works quite well. There’s a lot about Derek’s depression and his relationship with his father that shines and I loved Tom and his crazy journey. Sally only makes so much sense, and Annabelle’s dad and his backstory really comes out of left field. There’s enough here to make me really interested in his future writing, but not enough here to make me recommend this.
March 3, 2024
4/5
Denis's mum throws him out when he tells her he's gay. He sneaks onto a fancy overnight train, and meets rich, wild child Oliver - who has his own demons.
Doyle's stories, set in Ireland, are a refreshing change from US-based stories. I enjoyed the humour amid the deadly serious. More than a little suspension of disbelief in how the Oliver/Denis relationship grows over the space of a single night.
Denis's mum throws him out when he tells her he's gay. He sneaks onto a fancy overnight train, and meets rich, wild child Oliver - who has his own demons.
Doyle's stories, set in Ireland, are a refreshing change from US-based stories. I enjoyed the humour amid the deadly serious. More than a little suspension of disbelief in how the Oliver/Denis relationship grows over the space of a single night.
August 4, 2024
The Author is so ignorant I am amazed he is an Author.
For a start the picture of the train is an American Steam train which would never be in Ireland and there has been a shroud between carriages so you cant up "look up to the sky" between carriages for the past 120 years. The storyline just made no sense. Modern carriages, traditional carriages, modern electrics on a steam train?
The romance story that has pinned to this story is okay but a little shallow.
Just total nonsense.
For a start the picture of the train is an American Steam train which would never be in Ireland and there has been a shroud between carriages so you cant up "look up to the sky" between carriages for the past 120 years. The storyline just made no sense. Modern carriages, traditional carriages, modern electrics on a steam train?
The romance story that has pinned to this story is okay but a little shallow.
Just total nonsense.
December 15, 2024
Lately I have been hooked on YA Gay romance books. The epitome of feel-good reading. This is the second novel by Simon Doyle I have read. I believe it is the first he wrote. He has an assured sense of storytelling and great skill at character creation.
Almost the entire action takes place on a luxury train headed to Belfast. All the romance of the great train journey stories is here.
Good job, Simon. Looking forward to seeing what you have in store for us.
Almost the entire action takes place on a luxury train headed to Belfast. All the romance of the great train journey stories is here.
Good job, Simon. Looking forward to seeing what you have in store for us.
April 20, 2025
Did not finish
I enjoyed Snow Boys quite a bit, and I struggled with this so much, I even had to check to make sure it was the same author.
Got to 50% before I gave up. The premise sounded interesting, but the story ended up being too unrealistic and the interaction and dialogue between the two main characters seemed a bit infantile. Oliver gets involved with a criminal pretty easily, and then spills his whole life misery to same stranger in short order.
I enjoyed Snow Boys quite a bit, and I struggled with this so much, I even had to check to make sure it was the same author.
Got to 50% before I gave up. The premise sounded interesting, but the story ended up being too unrealistic and the interaction and dialogue between the two main characters seemed a bit infantile. Oliver gets involved with a criminal pretty easily, and then spills his whole life misery to same stranger in short order.
December 10, 2022
DNF at 40% could have been good but the way it was written just felt like a bit of a slog. There wasn’t any connection between scenes and I didn’t find myself moving through the story arc at the same pace as the characters.
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April 26, 2024Excellent Story
This is the first book that I have read by this author and I was not disappointed. Great storyline with great characters and a very good ending.Looking forward to reading more in the series.
This is the first book that I have read by this author and I was not disappointed. Great storyline with great characters and a very good ending.Looking forward to reading more in the series.
December 4, 2024
Im a sucker for good banter and this book delivers. I gave it 4 stars js bc it kinda took too long for the characters to develop but I get why the author wrote all the backstory and world building but other than that. Its an amazing book!
May 24, 2022
I was lucky enough to receive an advanced reader copy from the publisher and I read the entire book in only two sittings. Doyle's ability to let you visualise exactly what he's writing is a gift and the plot never lagged at any moment. I was rooting for Denis and Oliver the whole journey and the friendship that developed between them felt natural and timely. This is one of those HEA romances that the LGBTQ+ world needs more of, and the fact the author identifies as a gay man makes it all the more sentimental. Although the book touches on some darker subjects interspersed throughout the humour, everything is handled with the tenderness it deserves. A fantastic debut novel from Simon Doyle and I'm looking forward to his future offerings. (Also, shout out to the side character Tom; he's my hero!)
July 10, 2022
DNF Pick a trope, any trope that makes a romance a disappointment, and it will be in this slog of a book. Too bad, because Denis and Oliver were good characters.
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January 2, 2023Didn't really work for me.
April 9, 2023
This was okay - more like a short story. I will say that for it being a short story the relationship building is very good. I would have enjoyed it more if it didn't feel so compacted.
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