The Worst Bad Thing by J.E. Birk

Title: The Worst Bad Thing

Series: N/A

Author: J.E. Birk

Genre: Contemporary

Length: 123 pages

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (March 23^rd, 2016)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥4.5 Hearts

Blurb: Iceland, Stonehenge, London, Paris….

To the casual observer, it looks like a dream trip. For Tate O’Reilly, it’s anything but. He’s a man on a mission to rectify a critical mistake, and there’s nothing to hold him back—certainly not friends or family. For Tate, it all comes down to one simple thing—he must fix what he has broken.

What he doesn’t count on is meeting Gabriel Carillo. Gabriel is kind, mysterious, and seems to be on his own mission to ensure their paths keep crossing. But Tate’s hiding an awfully big secret—one he’s certain even Gabriel can’t forgive.

Does a man’s past have to determine his future? In the middle of cities filled with history, Tate is going to find out.

ISBN: 978-1-63477-130-6 1-63477-130-

Product Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=7555

Reviewer: KathyMac

Review: This story, The Worst Bad Thing, by J.E. Birk caught me off guard. It wasn’t the story that I thought was going to play out after reading the blurb. That’s not a bad thing, however, quite the contrary because I really enjoyed the journey. The author is new to me, but I connected fairly easy to their writing style.

We meet Tate after something obviously bad has happened to him, we just don’t know what it is. As the story unfolds we get more clarity to what he has playing out in his mind and he obviously feels as though he needs to make penance for his mistakes. He’s suffered a terrible tragedy that he lives day in and day out, over and over, in his mind.

He’s on a mission to travel and see certain destinations such as Stonehenge, Iceland, London, and Paris. He has reasons for these particular places and he hopes it helps in some small way make up for what has happened. On the plane he meets Gabriel, someone he instantly feels attraction and starts a conversation. I think Tate felt a comfort with Gabe because he didn’t know him, he didn’t know what he had done, and therefore he couldn’t judge him.

Gabe definitely was in the right place at the right time because he had a way with Tate that made him relax and remember what life was like before the accident. He’s very patient and understanding with Tate and only wants to do what he’s comfortable with. Gabe has his own reasons for going to London but while he has some extra free time he spends it with Tate and showing him the sights.

Tate and Gabriel have a lot in common. They, both, live in Denver, and while Tate is going through and experiencing PTSD right now in the present, Gabe has had his own battles with it in the past. He recognizes the signs giving him a better understanding of Tate.

As Tate and Gabe sightsee around London, Stonehenge, etc. I really was taken in by the way the author described what they were seeing or tasting. At times, I felt like I could see what they were looking at in that moment.

Even though Tate is enjoying his time with Gabriel, he doesn’t feel that he deserves that right. He hasn’t come clean completely with Gabe about everything that happened and he doesn’t plan too. However, an unexpected friend sees more to Tate and knows what dark thoughts he is carrying, and he takes matters into his own hands to try to help.

From the beginning, we know there has been a tragedy that affected a lot of people. Tate is young and cocky before the accident but now his life has been devastated and destroyed. I was really moved by the way the author puts the reader inside Tate’s head and we live there with him through the book. It’s a very emotional yet uplifting journey.

The angst level was low but at the same time Tate really pulls on your heartstrings. He’s suffered greatly for something that wasn’t necessarily his fault although it could have been prevented. Sometimes the best lessons in life are the ones where we have to make our own mistakes and pick up the pieces from there.

Tate isn’t really trying to pick up his pieces because he’s already decided how it’s going to play out, but sometimes our paths cross with something or someone entirely unexpected and it may just be the best thing that could happen instead of the worst bad thing.

Overall, I enjoyed this story and would recommend it to others. It is a story of hope and redemption. Some things fell into place a little too easily, but I believe fate was working to help Tate. I would love to see a follow-up with Tate and Gabriel making it back home and see if things continued to work out for them.

 

* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *