Life After Joe by Harper Fox

Title:  Life After Joe

Author:  Harper Fox

Genre:   Contemporary

Length:  Novella (115 pages)

Publisher:  Carina Press (June 28th 2010)

Heat Level:  Medium – Explicit

Heart Rating:  ♥♥♥♥♥5Hearts

Blurb:   It’s not the breaking up that kills you, it’s the aftermath.

Ever since his longtime lover decided he’d seen the “heterosexual light,” Matt’s life has been in a nosedive. Six months of too many missed shifts at the hospital, too much booze, too many men. Matt knows he’s on the verge of losing everything, but he’s finding it hard to care.

Then Matt meets Aaron. He’s gorgeous, intelligent and apparently not interested in being picked up. Still, even after seeing Matt at his worst, he doesn’t turn away. Aaron’s kindness and respect have Matt almost believing he’s worth it-and that there could be life after Joe. But his newfound happiness is threatened when Matt begins to suspect Aaron is hiding something or someone…

Product Link:  http://ebooks.carinapress.com/DA5F1C32-B217-45C4-9A08-834C2CB13486/10/134/en/ContentDetails.htm?ID=076D8C2A-CCF8-4906-86EC-456ADC1AD2F3

Reviewer:   Any

Review:  In the head of a wonderfully flawed character, brimming with hurt at the loss of both his childhood friend and lover, we explore the range of emotions involved in grief and moving on.

While Matt isn’t the type of personality I particularly like, I found him interesting, and I could empathize with him. Why? Because this story was more than a romance, more than the sum of Matt’s personality, it was a reflection of the downs of life—particularly that of loss.

As I read this, I was upset and angry for Matt—for being left, abandoned, lied to–yet despite every turn for the worst in this novella, I was constantly hopeful. Hopeful that things would pick up. Hopeful they’d get better for Matt. Hopeful that he’d be able to trust and love again.

Passionate. That’s a word I’d use to describe this story. Not just the story itself, but the writing. I feel as if this story really meant something to the author. William Faulkner said, “If you are going to write, write about human nature. It’s the only thing that doesn’t date.” Certainly, Ms Fox does this—you can feel that in every story she writes—and I believe that this story won’t date for precisely this reason. How can it when the soul of Life After Joe is seeped in such rich emotion?

Highly recommend.

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