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The Once and Future Love

by Ari McKay

The Once and Future Love - Ari McKay
Editions:Kindle - First Edition: $ 2.51
ISBN: B00885EQ9U
Pages: 67

Anthony Davis, A-list Hollywood star, is adored by millions for his talent and striking good looks. Approaching fifty and feeling the pressure of competing with younger stars, he realizes that despite all he’s achieved, he’s alone and lonely. Then Anthony encounters Rob Harrison, who tutored him in college, at a fundraiser. Despite the chemistry between them back then, Anthony chose his career over love, and he recognizes the mistake he made at last. As he leaves the fundraiser, he glimpses a shooting star and makes a hopeless wish… asking for another chance with Rob.

This book is on:
  • 1 To Be Read list
  • 1 Read list
Published:
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Editors:
Jane Canby

Cover Artists:
Catt Ford

Genres:
Contemporary

Tags:
author - american, format - book, format - novel <100K, format - novella 15k-40K, what - emotion - hope, what - emotion - love, what - holiday - general, who - occupation - actors, who - occupation - teacher

Pairings: M-M
Heat Level: 3
Romantic Content: 3
Ending: Click here to reveal
Character Identities: Gay
Tropes: Friends to Lovers, Second Chances
Languages Available: English
Reviews: lore on Amazon wrote:

The story description is accurate, and it's about 40 pages based on my e-reader. I tried not to rush through this one, so it took me about 45 minutes to read. You might be able to get through it in a half-hour, but this is a story worth savoring for its wonderful romantic elements.

The main character, Anthony Davis, makes a full emotional transition in this short story. Anthony's realization that his life is empty is so poignant that I empathized with him immediately and felt the highs and lows of his journey along with him. We see the secondary character, Rob Harrison, mainly thought Anthony's eyes, but his emotional journey also satisfies.

The fantasy element in this story is well handled, not becoming too fantastic or bogging down the narrative with explanation. Besides, without a bit of wishing on a star, we wouldn't get to the story's romance, which is its strong point.

I've read many M/M books where the authors try so hard to make their men "manly" that the element of romance is barely touched on in plots. There might be kissing and sex, but there's also anger, jealousy, and violence or competition. The men in "Once and Future Love" aren't "girly" characters, but they're allowed to be hopelessly romantic, and this is the element of the story I liked best and don't get to read often enough in well written M/M romance.

I'll be keeping an eye out for more from this author!


About the Author

Ari McKay is the professional pseudonym for Arionrhod and McKay, who have been writing together for over a decade. Their collaborations encompass a wide variety of romance genres, including contemporary, fantasy, science fiction, gothic, and action/adventure. Their work includes the Blood Bathory series of paranormal novels, the Herc’s Mercs series, as well as two historical Westerns: Heart of Stone and Finding Forgiveness. When not writing, they can often be found scheming over costume designs or binge watching TV shows together.

Arionrhod is a systems engineer by day who is eagerly looking forward to (hopefully) becoming a full time writer in the not-too-distant future. Now that she is an empty-nester, she has turned her attentions to finding the perfect piece of land to build a fortress in preparation for the zombie apocalypse, and baking (and eating) far too many cakes.

McKay is an English teacher who has been writing for one reason or another most of her life. She also enjoys knitting, reading, cooking, and playing video games. She has been known to knit in public. Given she has the survival skills of a gnat, she’s relying on Arionrhod to help her survive the zombie apocalypse.