Falling Down by Eli Easton
Falling Down by Eli Easton - 4 stars
This book made my heart squeeze it was such a wonderfully sweet love story.
When we first meet Josh he is on a mission set in motion after the recent death of his mother. He is a young man without a boyfriend or any friends or family and he is had made the decision to find the right place to end his life, because he really sees no reason to go on. Every day is a struggle to survive and Josh can’t quite see the point. Mark has run away from his life too, in a sense. He hides out in his New England cabin working as a handyman, trying to forget his 4 years in the Marines and how he has pretty much failed at everything in life. He is the youngest of 4 boys and his family don’t even know he’s gay. Mark knows he needs a change in his life, he’s just not sure what to do.
Josh and Mark cross paths in the small town where Mark lives. Josh has camped out under a bridge near Mark’s cabin and fate intervenes bringing them together. Mark offers Josh a place to stay and some work which Josh accepts – the rest of the book focuses on their developing friendship with both of them hoping it may blossom into more. But both Mark and Josh have a lot of baggage that threatens their chances for happiness. Each turn of the page brings more challenges yet there is always an underlying thread that if they could just admit to each other how they feel, love could conquer all. The author cleverly leads the reader on an emotional roller coaster of a journey as we get to know both men better; their hopes, dreams, fears, insecurities and desires. The issues of homelessness, grief, trauma and coming out are all touched on and handled sensitively by the author yet she doesn’t dwell on them too heavily as this story primarily concentrates on the positive and how life can get better through trust and love and support.
Eli Easton has produced a well written, beautifully descriptive romance novel about two sexy men looking for love that kept me captivated from start to finish.