Love and Lust rec: 'The Bells of Times Square' by Amy Lane
The Bells of Times Square by Amy Lane
What it's about (courtesy Riptide Publishing):
Every New Year's Eve since 1946, Nate Meyer has ventured alone to Times Square to listen for the ghostly church bells he and his long-lost wartime lover vowed to hear together. This year, however, his grandson Blaine is pushing Nate through the Manhattan streets, revealing his secrets to his silent, stroke-stricken grandfather.
When Blaine introduces his boyfriend to his beloved grandfather, he has no idea that Nate holds a similar secret. As they endure the chilly death of the old year, Nate is drawn back in memory to a much earlier time ... and to Walter.
Long before, in a peace carefully crafted in the heart of wartime tumult, Nate and Walter forged a loving home in the midst of violence and chaos. But nothing in war is permanent, and now all Nate has is memories of a man his family never knew existed. And a hope that he'll finally hear the church bells that will unite everybody — including the lovers who hid the best and most sacred parts of their hearts.
Why you should read it: An absolutely beautiful book, set in present time with memories of WWII and a love that wouldn't be denied.
Yes, I cried. This is Amy Lane angst and tears at its finest. There is the love of a grandson for his grandfather and the love of two men for each other in two different times. Nate, Blaine's grandfather, was rescued during WWII by Walter and hidden in a cabin in the woods. A friendship developed which led to a deeper love. However, when peace is declared, can the men continue to love and live together or will they have to go their separate ways?
What you want to happen, with a mind-set in the 21st century, may not have been able to happen in the middle of the previous century. Or did it? What was the cost to the two men, and can Nate's family know what it means to him to hear the New Year's bells from a church on Times Square?
A lovely, lovely book, and one I can't recommend highly enough.
Becky Condit is a widow, mother of three and grandmother of 10 who reads all kinds of books, but her go-to comfort books are erotic romances. A romance novel coupled with just-out-of-the-oven chocolate-chip cookies and a glass of cold milk is her idea of heaven. She reads and reviews more than 250 books a year, so you won't often find her without her Kindle in hand, but when you do, she'll probably be gardening, doing needle crafts, working in her upholstery workshop and spending time with her family.