This is the first time I’ve ever had a pre-release review for anything. In fact, I’m very bad about soliciting reviews and don’t do it often. But last week, when the publisher sent me the ARC for this novella, I received an e-mail from Amos Lassen literally on the same exact day by coincidence…about something that had nothing to do with A YOUNG WIDOW’S PROMISE. I know he does review all LGBTQ books, but I always thought of him as more literary. And because I’m crossing genres this time with this novella, I’ve been worried about how I’m going to promote it. So I decided to ask Amos if he’d be willing to review A YOUNG WIDOW’S PROMISE, and he graciously agreed.
Though Amos has reviewed a couple of my books over the years, again, I always thought of him as a reviewer who concentrated more on LGBTQ literary fiction rather than m/m erotic romance. And A YOUNG WIDOW’S PROMISE isn’t even considered m/m romance, let alone LGBTQ literary fiction. It’s a pg rated m/f historical romance with a gay subplot that I thought was important to the storyline. I’ve written other m/f pg rated romances in many different sub-genres, but this is the first time I’m doing it without using a pen name. And when Amos agreed to review this, I was thrilled that he’d actually take the time to do it.
Here’s a link to Amos Lassen’s web site, and the review is below.
Field, Ryan. “A Young Widow’s Promise”, Loveyoudivine.com, 2011.
The Civil War ala Ryan Field
Amos Lassen
Living in the South, it is hard not to be a Civil War buff and in fact every day I pass a couple of monuments and battle sites. Southerners are proud people and just as they do not forget what some refer to as the Great War; they also erect monuments to battles that they lost. It’s a strange life.
Every once in a while I like a good Civil War book (or as you Yankees call the conflict, The War Between the States). There is something very romantic about the period just as there is something very romantic about the old South. Of course, any novel about the Civil War will be inevitably compared to the great “Gone with the Wind”—well, maybe this one won’t as it is being released only as an ebook for now (on October 29). I must compliment Ryan Field for undertaking such a project because to write a period novel, a lot of research is required and if you have been following Field’s blog, you know that he did his share. He does not disappoint. Ryan Field is one of the most prolific writers around so I am sure it was not easy to take the time to do the research for this book and his research is evident. Life in the 1800’s was very much different than it is today to be sure, but it is the little nuances of life that capture our attention. If an author makes a mistake about the period he is writing about, someone will call him on it. (No Ryan, you on the back and say “Job well done”).
Ryan Field’s extremely readable writing style is evident here and while I cannot say much about the plot, I am going to say that once I sat down to read, I read straight through the day. And since I have used the word straight already, I will say that this is a book about a straight romance between a man and a woman. But do not throw your arms up in despair—there is a gay subplot.
I suppose what I am trying to say is that we see the author’s versatility as a writer here. I knew that he also writes straight novels under another name yet here he brings the two genres together and the result is very satisfying. You notice that I have avoided talking about the plot and the characters but there is a “method to my madness”. Rarely do I give a book an advance rave without talking about the story but that is what I am doing here. I have too often been accused of saying too much about a story so I am saying nothing except you will learn about lawn mowers. Take my word for it—you will enjoy it totally—not just because of the plot and the characters but because Ryan Field is a wonderful writer who never ceases to surprise. I want you to have the same surprises I had. I know some of you will say that this is a cursory review and it is. Let’s wait until some of you have a chance to share the story and then we’ll talk about it. In the meantime, put it on your “To Read” lists and preorder it. You won’t be sorry.
