Reviewed by Susan65
Title: Mourning Jack
Author: S.A. Meade
Heroes: Ade and Cal Eric
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 160 Pages
Publisher: Total E-Bound
Release Date: May 14, 2012
Available at: Total E-Bound, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance eBooks and Kobo
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads
Blurb: When Ade loses his best friend he soon learns that mourning Jack brings not only sorrow but happiness too. Restaurant chef Ade is a man of his word. When his best friend is killed while serving in Afghanistan, he honours a promise to look after Jack s lover, Cal. Ever the white knight, Ade does his best to console Cal in spite of losing his job and nearly losing his life. Ever the fool, Ade falls in love and learns the hard way that loving someone who can t love him isn t enough. With a new job in a new place comes the possibility of a new love, but Eric has baggage of his own. Can Ade and Eric leave their old heartaches behind and find new happiness with each other?”
Review: I am so conflicted with the ending of this very sad story. It definitely didn’t end with the couple I was expecting, or hoping. Maybe it made it more realistic that things don’t always end the way we want them to, but I can’t help thinking that the wrong choices were made, and that makes me sad; not only sad, but immensely worried as well. I immediately went to see if there was a sequel, or follow up, or anything because I can’t help but worry about Cal being all alone, especially since it was clear though actions, if not words, that Ade and Cal both deeply loved and cared for the other.
A little back story: Jack was killed in action, Cal was his lover, Ade was Jack’s best friend. Jack made Ade promise to look after Cal if anything happened to him. He meets Cal at Jacks funeral and the two become friends. Cal is drowning in grief. He struggles heavily but Ade is there to keep him upright and helps put a little sunshine back into Cal’s dark world.
Months pass and their friendship grow stronger. Ade develops feeling for Cal but Cal is so consumed with grief that he doesn’t notice it at first. He needs Ade to help him get through his suddenly lonely life and Ade is there to help him adjust sans Jack.
Eventually Ade is in a bad car wreck and Cal now becomes the comforter. He had Ade move into his one story cottage so that he can help Ade in his long recovery. During these months the two become closer and the love begins to show in touches and kisses and eventually in love making. I completely felt the attraction and for fifty percent of this book it was all Cal and Ade. That is why I struggled so much with Eric barging into the picture so late into the story.
Ade decides that since Cal can’t say that he loves him, and is not completely over losing Jack, that he needs to not only move out, but move four hours away and live a lonely existence without the man he loves. Cal is heartbroken and Ade is heartbroken. Eric is in luck.
Eric is a good guy; I really liked him a lot. But I had just spent fifty percent of this book falling in love with Cal and Ade and could not go through that again. I was jumping for joy when Ade lost his hard-on while attempting sex with Eric. I was all “Thank Fook”. Ade is coming to his senses. But when Cal shows up on his doorstep asking for Ade to come home, exactly like Ade dreamed of him doing, but he shuts him down hard. I was pissed. So what if Cal can’t say the words of love yet, the man speaks volumes in his action. Give him some time, asshole.
But no, Cal is sent packing, heartbroken and alone, while Ade starts dating Eric again. Not only dating, but now when Eric asks him to move him…without saying the magic love words, Ade agrees. Asshole. I hated Ade by the end of this book. I felt bad that he thought he was second fiddle to Jack in Cal’s eyes but really, give the man time to get over his lover. Fook, I was so pissed by the end of this book, but even with the pages dwindling I still held out hope that Ade would do the right thing and go back to Cal. Sniff Sniff…I hate that I was wrong. And now all I want is a book about Cal getting his happily ever after. I hope Ade gets kicked in the ass by one of Eric’s horses.
Overall Impression: I really liked it
*I purchased my own, personal copy of this book for review.*
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