Book Reviews

Book Blurb

A man still mourning his family rescues a man with no memory. Can they heal each other?

A year after he lost his wife and child to a sudden storm, Gabriel Pennant stands vigil on a Cornish clifftop and spots a small boat in distress as another storm rolls in. Gabriel fights strong winds and dangerous waves to rescue an unconscious young man. He carries the man back to his cottage and sits with him until he wakes, only to discover he’s suffering from amnesia.

When Sam wakes up in the cottage of a brooding, handsome stranger with a tragic past who saved him from drowning but obviously doesn’t want him there, he remembers nothing except being captive in his own body.

Then they are trapped together as the village is cut off by a landslip, and Gabriel has no choice but to offer grudging hospitality. Gabriel finds himself unwillingly attracted to his houseguest, and Sam just wants to take away the pain in the eyes of the lonely widower. But first they need to find out who Sam is and why he’s having nightmares about men trying to kill him.

First edition published by Dreamspinner Press, March 2020.

Book Review

“When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.” ~ Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore

 

For the past year, Gabriel Pennant, of ‘Gabriel’s Storm’ by Sue Brown, has become a hermit, a shell of a man consumed by grief. He hasn’t been able to find a moment of peace since his son and wife drowned in a freak surge. Even though he realizes that they are not coming back, he obsessively keeps vigil, hoping that he can save someone else from a watery grave. One cold, stormy day he spots a boat in the water, obviously in trouble. Not even considering his own safety, Gabriel goes out to the boat and rescues the man inside.

 

Once Gabriel brings the unconscious man, Sam, to his cottage, he panics. Gabriel hasn’t had anyone there, except for his brother-in-law, Toby, since his wife and son died. He resents having him there, invading his much-guarded space. He calls Toby, who is also a doctor, explains the situation, and asks him to come check on Sam. When Toby arrives, he checks Sam and reassures Gabriel that he is generally okay, but since he has a head injury, he advises him to come into his office for a head x-ray when the weather is better. Gabriel tells Toby that he doesn’t want Sam there and asks Toby to take Sam with him, but Toby refuses. He insists that Gabriel care for Sam while he recovers. Gabriel isn’t happy, but since he understands that he can’t just send Sam on his way, he begrudgingly agrees.

 

When Sam wakes up, he is totally confused. He has no idea where he is or how he got there. In fact, he doesn’t even know who he is. The bump on the head has given him amnesia. Although he doesn’t have a clue why, Sam quickly recognizes that the man who has gone to all the trouble of rescuing him, does not want him there. It is all quite disconcerting. Gabriel’s attitude toward Sam is unwarranted and inexplicable and Sam isn’t sure how to proceed. Obviously since Sam doesn’t remember where else he belongs, has no money, or even clothes, for that matter, he can’t just leave. Regardless of Gabriel’s attitude, he needs to learn who he is before he can go anywhere. Aside from that, Sam starts having nightmares about someone trying to kill him. He has no idea whether they are real or not, but the accompanying anxiety attacks give him even more reason to believe they are.

 

Sam creeps further and further into Gabriel’s life, not just by being in his cottage, but by having to wear his wife’s clothing, using her ‘special mug’; he is trespassing in places that Sam has no way of knowing about. Along with Gabriel’s feelings of resentment for Sam’s intrusion, is the realization that he is beginning to enjoy having Sam’s company, throwing Gabriel’s mind into cognitive dissonance. His desire for Sam is growing but is always swiftly followed by feelings of betraying his wife’s memory. Gabriel’s feelings of inadequacy, regardless of whatever else he accomplishes in his life, are constantly overshadowed by guilt and shame, limiting his ability to move on.

 

Sue has created a great story full of emotion, fear, passion, and intrigue. Gabriel and Sam are damaged men who, together, are able to overcome their baggage and to heal each other and themselves, in order to find happiness. Thanks, Sue, for this slow burning, yet satisfying story. 

 

 

 

 

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Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 223 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	10-May-2020
Price	$4.99 ebook, $10.99 paperback
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Gabriels-Storm-amnesia-proximity-romance-ebook/dp/B088FC3D9X