Rainbow Reviews

BOOK BLURB:
Charlie is a nomad, a travel writer who will never settle down. Easy come, easy go: all his boyfriends have been flings or one-night stands. "Love them and leave them" is his motto, the rule he lives by. Until he meets Matthieu one day, by the side of a French canal. After a long hot night together, Charlie realizes that this is at last the man he wants to keep, the perfect companion for his wanderlust life.

Matt is a beauty, a treasure, a joy ~ a man who knows just where he belongs, and means to stay there. His family has made wine here for generations; this valley is his home, and not even his passion for Charlie can shift him.

There can be no doubt of their love, but their own natures contrive to pull them apart ~ unless one surrenders. But will rolling stone or rooted tree raise the white flag?

BOOK REVIEW:
This is a wonderfully lyrical and beautiful romance that is worth reading. The writing itself is evocative and brings the French countryside alive just as the two men are vivid and captivating. The story is so enthralling that it masks the lack of the depth the relationship is given and lack of actual connection beyond physical between the men. Even considering these drawbacks, the prose shines and creates a lovely and romantic story that will delight and satisfy. It’s rare the writing is filled with enough imagery and emotion on its own to compensate for problems in the characters, but this story does so beautifully.

The premise is rather simple with an opposites attract chemistry between Matthieu, who is deeply rooted and married to the land, and Charlie, who has a deep love and need to travel constantly. These men have their own identities and know where they belong in the world, happy to spend a few hours indulging in surprising and vibrant chemistry with a stranger. This chemistry leads to desire and longing and eventually love, but with the opposite needs of the men more than simple compromise would be needed for a happy ending. Both men must sacrifice and evaluate what they need for their own happiness.

Both men are complicated with needs and desires beyond finding a mate. Matt has a deep love of the land and making wine, not to mention his close and loving family. These elements combine to create an environment that Matt is not willing to leave but also that he needs for his happiness. He has no need for travel and excitement in the ways Charlie does but is willing to hold onto people and things he loves. His open and easy mannerisms mask the complexity of the man. Although he is younger than Charlie, Matt is completely aware of his identity and his needs.

Charlie is also aware of his needs but they are complicated and warped by his life constantly traveling. He has never tried to have a relationship but experiences unease when attempting to settle in one place. His need to experience new things and travel are just as important as Matt’s need to stay in the vineyard. Charlie’s understanding of their opposite needs is a gradual process even though he recognizes the inevitably sad parting from the start. The concept of compromise is foreign to Charlie and he hides from his fears in rationalizations.

The process these two men go through is a beautifully written story, yet at the heart the men have very little basis for their lasting love. Told from Charlie’s point of view in first person, the connection between the men is deeply physical and becomes an easy companionship yet that essential element is missing. Matt is seen through Charlie’s favorable perception and thus lacks some depth. Just as the intensity of their emotion is too fast and too involved for their experience. This slides into love at first sight almost. However, the lyrical writing compensates for this lack and creates a lovely story regardless.

Examples of the writing which creates such imagery and emotion are:

At least, I told stories I'd picked up in my travels, and he talked about life in the valley here. We hardly actually mentioned ourselves at all. They were stories about chance-met strangers and close neighbours, always other people, other lives; but they served well enough for self-portraits. This is how I live, who I live among; the only person missing from this narrative is myself. See that gap I left, the absence in the story? That's where I fit, exactly. Like portraits drawn in silhouette and shadow. We gave ourselves away with every word.

And:

Eventually, reluctantly, there was sleep of a sort, though I was still totally aware of his presence even in my thin and broken dreaming. I knew it when he moved, I knew it when he woke; I felt his arms come round me and knew that I didn't need to wake myself, not yet.

So I drowsed on in his arms, comforted and content, until he moved more purposefully. Until he deliberately set out to wake me with lips and fingers, with liberties.

I was disappointed when the story ended because I could have read the author’s writing and prose for much longer. The characters were engaging and afforded opportunities for future stories with a satisfying romance. The ending may not be perfect but fits the characters, their needs, and the story wonderfully. Overall, I highly recommend this story and think readers will greatly enjoy the romance and writing.

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