I wanted to add a new segment to my blog where I offer my reviews of books that I’ve read. I’ll share fair reviews and hope by doing so that I can provide some new authors/books of interest to anyone who might be in the market for a new book. And, really, we should all be in the market for a new book. 🙂

So, to kick this off, we’ll start with a novel I just finished reading from one of my favorite authors of gay fiction–Michael Thomas Ford.

Obviously by my previous statement, I’m a Ford fan. I’ve read four of his previous novels–Last Summer, Looking For It, Changing Tides, and Full Circle. And all four are definitely worth a read as I thoroughly enjoyed each one of those. I’m disheartened to admit that I didn’t enjoy The Road Home nearly as much as the other four.

For me, the novel starts off as very promising, once you get past the first chapter–which still confuses me.

The main character, Burke Crenshaw, survives a car accident that rendered him incapable of taking care of himself. He is forced home to Vermont to not only convalesce but to also confront his distant relationship with his father as well as sort through the new-found feelings he has developed for Will, the son of his high school best friend.

I was also intrigued by the subplot–the historical mystery surrounding two Vermont soldiers who fought in the Civil War.

However, the meshing of the two stories didn’t come together for me. I understand the plotting behind the events as Burke’s delving into the mystery brought him within Sam, the librarian’s, orbit. Sam is integral in Burke’s discovery of what friendship and home mean, but I sometimes felt I was reading two different novels instead of one seamless whole. I can’t help but feel as if there could have been a better, sometimes more intriguing way of melding the two.

The novel itself isn’t bad. There are some good characters, such as Gaither Lucas (who is funny) and the three bears. I just wanted to see more of the relationships developed. I felt as if we only scratched the surface, and that left me unsatisfied, which is atypical for me when I’m done with a Ford book.

Still, I remain a fan of Ford.