Book Reviews

Book Blurb

A single moment—or a single mistake—can change everything.

 

When Captain James Lee Hooker and his lover, Sergeant Easy Jacobs, were in the Army, they made a mistake that got a young soldier hurt. Three years later, they’re civilians again, living far apart, haunted by what they lost. Now that young soldier needs their help.

 

With his grandmother’s one-eyed Chihuahua riding shotgun, James Lee climbs into Easy’s pickup for a trip across the American Southwest. They set out to rescue a friend, but their journey transforms them with the power of forgiveness. 

 

Book Review

“There was too much water under the bridge between us… Too much water under the bridge over the bridge. That bridge had washed away in a flood.” – Captain James Lee Hooker, American Road Trip by Sarah Black

Some relationships are too broken to have any hope of being resurrected, and the quote above describes how James Lee feels about any chance of reconciling with Easy when they meet again, three years after leaving the Army. There is so much history between them, a lot of it bad because of what happened to Austin, Easy’s younger cousin, that they can’t see each other through the darkness of their guilt. I expected a lot of heartache – and there was – but I also kept hoping they might find their way back to each other. After all, they loved each other deeply once, and road trips are known to be miraculous. Right?

James Lee, like many veterans, is sort of adrift after two tours in Afghanistan. He wanted to go to grad school to become a counselor, but he can’t deal with yet another bureaucracy (that of university). He ends up taking care of his ailing grandmother for a while, and when she dies, leaving him her one-eyed Chihuahua, he just stays put, living in her house. Then Easy turns up one day and asks for help with Austin, and James Lee doesn’t even think about it.

They set off, chasing the postcards Austin sent, not even knowing where he is now but hoping to be able to track him. James Lee used to be the commanding officer of their platoon, but he is no longer in charge, so it’s the first time that they can begin to relate to each other without rank or protocol separating them. Amid the adventures on the road – and there are some wonderful episodes around the people they meet, the food they eat, and the things they see – James Lee and Easy begin to talk. It takes a while, it is painful, and there is lots of angst, but seeing them reconnect is simply beautiful!

If you’re up for a different kind of road trip but one that still has all the features you’d expect in a journey of discovery, if you want to watch two men who should never have been separated find their way back together, and if you’re looking for a read that will make you bite your nails, cross your fingers for a happy ending, and laugh more than once, then you will probably like this novella.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novella, 89 pages/30535 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	16-March-2018
Price	$4.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/american-road-trip-by-sarah-black-9450-b