Title: Nine-One-One, 2nd edition
Author: Scarlet Blackwell
Genre: Contemporary/Men in Uniform
Length: Novella (18K words)
Publisher: Totally Bound (December 19th, 2014) Available for early download 11/21/14
Heat Level: Low
Blurb: Damon can’t forget 9/11 and all the precious things he lost…
It’s been ten years after the horror of 9/11. Former NYPD cop Damon Summerfield was there. He lost his fire fighter partner, Justin, in the collapse of the Twin Towers and fled to Canada to attempt to rebuild his shattered life. Now he is back in New York for Christmas with his family for the first time since his loss.
Still in deep mourning with no end in sight, he visits Justin’s favourite bar near Ground Zero and there he meets Simon, a fire fighter with the FDNY and a fellow survivor of 9/11. Simon is smitten by him from the start, but despite feeling the same way, Damon can’t bear to give them a chance, not when he thinks Simon’s job will tear them apart someday too…
Publisher’s Note: This book was previously released by another publisher. It has been revised and re-edited for release with Totally Bound Publishing.
ISBN: 9781784303365
Product Link: https://www.totallybound.com/nine-one-one
Prime’s Review: I’m going to be completely honest and admit that I cried like a baby at the beginning and although the tears slowed down considerably, I didn’t stop until I finished.
We meet Damon wallowing in the depths of despair at the site of the Twin Tower Memorial, where he still mourns the loss of his partner ten years before. Simon, like Damon’s deceased lover, is also FDNY, but he was lucky enough to survive 9/11 just as Damon had. Simon also has a survival tale of his very own. We see both Damon and Simon’s individual stories in flashback, which is probably what made me cry more.
One thing is for certain, though: Damon needs counselling or something and is in a worse position than Simon in terms of dealing with grief. But, that is only my personal opinion since I’ve never experienced the death of a spouse. This mindset also made Damon’s character rather irritating at times to me, because he acted like a brat towards Simon. Hence, my opinion that Damon needs counselling, even with the help of Simon. That is off topic.
The rush of emotions was almost violent, tossing between grief, despair, happiness and guilt in this heart-wrenching story. Despite the fact that there wasn’t a true happily ever after, it was still an uplifting ending where there was hope for both of the characters.
Cat’s Review: ♥♥ 2 Hearts
Damon is still in morning after losing his long-time lover of 6 years to 9-11. Damon was a cop there and Justin was a fire fighter. Damon hasn’t been home since he left New York shortly after and his parents talked him into Christmas this year. He has lived like a monk all these years, but a handsome green-eyed man gets his attention in Justin’s favourite bar on Christmas Eve.
Simon wanted Damon as soon as he saw him and didn’t give up. They keep running into each other the next few days. Could it be fate?
This story had so much premise and started of really good. My heart went out to Damon though ten years seems so long for a young man to go without wanting sex, but then again I preferred tis to the opposite and usual running to every man for one night stands. Then he met Simon.
I really wanted to like this story. I really did. The more I read the more I disliked Damon and then near the end the twist with Simon floored me and I liked him even less. I am not saying the story was bad. It’s not. It’s a good story about two men that lost a lot in 9-11. It just wasn’t for me. I will say I did like how we got the backstory of Justin and Damon and I would have loved to see that in a full story.
If you like lots of angst, firemen, cops and stories about the tragedy of 9-11 you may like this.
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *