The Official Description: What if your first love was abducted and presumed dead—but then returned twenty years later?
That’s the dilemma Cole Weston faces. Now happily married to Tommy D’Amico, he’s suddenly thrown into a surreal world when his first love, Rory Schneidmiller, unexpectedly reappears.
Rory has no memory of those years. For him, it’s as though only a day or two has passed. He still loves Cole with the passion unique to young first love.
But Cole has so many questions: where has Rory been and what happened to him two decades ago when he disappeared without a trace? He has never forgotten Rory, but Tommy has been his rock, by his side since Rory disappeared.
Cole is forced to choose between an idealized and passionate first love and the comfort of a long-term marriage. How does one make a decision like that? The answers might lie among the stars…
Just the facts: Drama, a bit of romance, a mystery…. and a bit of science fiction?
This book made my heart ache and my brain all thinky! – Kinzie Things
My thoughts bit: I’ve decided that I really liked Rick R. Reed’s writing. This is the second book I’ve read by Reed and this one didn’t disappoint even though it’s dramatically different from the first one that I read.
This book begins with Cole and Rory moving in to their first home together. It’s the late 90s and they have scored a quaint little apartment for Five hundred dollars a month. They haven’t been together long, but they’re young, and in love and it’s about as perfect as anything can be.
One night, while Cole is at work, Rory goes out for a beer and a burger. He never comes home. He sees a light in the sky for the second time, feels a pull and he’s gone.
Twenty years pass. Cole builds a life with Tommy. In a twist of fate, Tommy was friends with the last woman to see Rory alive …
This book isn’t really a romance… I would categorize it as really good fiction. There is a loving relationship at the beginning, and there is a loving marriage later on. But this book is about so much more than romance. It’s about losing someone we love… and let’s face it, there are many ways for that to happen. The thing is … when we lose someone that we are still in love with – as Cole loses Rory in the novel – there’s a gap left in a life that may never be filled.
This book was striking because of the moments I got to spend in Cole’s head. His grief and loss were tangible. He didn’t know how to move on without Cole… and in a way, he didn’t. Rory didn’t change in Cole’s mind. Over the years, he just remained Cole’s first love and the man he lost. His husband, Tommy was accepting and gentle regarding Cole’s emotional connection to his missing partner. But I couldn’t imagine living with that hanging over your relationship.
Reed is a great writer. No matter the content of his books, I find myself sinking into the lives of the characters and I become emotionally invested in them.
Don’t go into this expecting a regular M/M romance. This isn’t that book… it’s a much better book.
Things You May Want To Know: Please be aware, I’m by no means an expert on what may or may not have the potential to disturb people. I simply list things that I think a reader might want to be aware of. In this book: (SPOILERS) Partner of main character goes missing, extreme remorse after a sexual encounter, loss of loved one.
Links: Goodreads // The Author // The Publisher
I received an ARC of Sky Full of Mysteries by Rick R. Reed from NineStar Press via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
Kinzie Things 