Rainbow Reviews

BOOK BLURB:
When David’s father moves in, David loses more than his study. He loses his life. His father has Alzheimer’s and each day is a struggle for both of them. His father’s blunt, bigoted attitudes about David’s lifestyle, friends and neighbors pushes David out of his circle of support and into a world of loneliness, repeated conversations, and the fear that his father will wander off or burn down the house while David’s at work.

With David’s life in turmoil, now is not the right time to meet a man. And definitely not the time to try to have a romantic relationship. But when his father does wander off, David turns to the local police for help, and he meets Detective Travis Hart.

Travis’s life is not much better. Just coming off a nasty break up with his much younger lover, Travis struggles with his attraction to David. A rebound romance is not what Travis is looking for; he wants commitment and forever. Both men realize what they really need at this point in their lives is not a lover, but a best friend.

Through phone calls, they begin a friendship and share the moments in their days, David’s coping with his father and Travis’s struggle with his job as a cop. But as their friendship and attraction turns into the love, David’s father spirals deeper into a disease that robs him of memory and replaces it with fear and delusions, until the situation becomes something that neither David or Travis ever expected.

BOOK REVIEW:
"David's Dilemma" is the story of three men's search for meaning in their lives. It's also a sensitive and poignant portrayal of the devastating effects of a degenerative and debilitating illness on loved ones.

David Delaney, Sr. suffers from Alzheimer’s Disease and struggles to hold onto memories of his wife and the son he loved in her place when she died. David Delaney, Jr. is a 40-something landscape designer who's life is filled with constant worry over what to do with his father. He also battles with guilt because he desperately wishes he could have a life, but not at the expense of placing his father in a managed care facility.

Travis Hart is a lonely, 40-something detective with a penchant for younger men who is increasingly stressed out by his high-pressure job. The lives of these three men become entwined when David Sr. wanders off and David Jr. goes to the police for help.

This story resonated with me on many different levels. I appreciated that the author didn't gloss over the many ways in which Alzheimer's affected David's life, for example, having the same conversation with his father over and over again or coming home to find that his father thinks David's still in short pants. Their relationship is already strained because David's father does not approve of his homosexuality, so even the good days when his father is lucid are overshadowed by David's father's bigotry.

David and Travis's burgeoning relationship is threatened by several factors: David Sr.'s worsening condition and his virulent bigotry and Travis's stressful job. In some novels, police procedures are often told rather than shown but not here. Several scenes show Travis "on the job" and we are given insight into how hard crime affects him on a psychological level. Whether it's finding dead junkies, a brutally bludgeoned wife, or growing gang activity, Travis mourns the loss of lives on the hard streets. He's a good cop with a sensitive side that he's not afraid to reveal to David. Indeed, his connection to David keeps him sane and balanced.

Lorenz exquisitely builds the sexual tension between Travis and David through phone calls and infrequent meetings. I was wondering how they would ever get together with David's father in residence, but the way in which this particular dilemma was handled worked for me and even provided some dramatic moments in the story. There are several hot and steamy love scenes that prove that these 40-somethings still have what it takes to tangle the sheets.

I'm a huge fan of Lynn Lorenz's work. I'm convinced that she can write about any subject she puts her mind to, but I was concerned about how a devastating disease such as Alzheimer’s could be worked into a gay romance. I'm happy to say that I was far from disappointed. In fact, I am more in awe of her talents than I was before and heartily recommend "David's Dilemma" for your reading enjoyment.

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