When trust, hope and faith break down...a man can lose everything. A powerful love story set in northern Montana.
Brett thinks he has life all planned out...until he meets Tommy. Over the course of one incredible summer in northern Montana, this easy-going, kind-hearted guy turns Brett’s life upside down, but Tommy isn’t everything he seems.
Brutalized by his violent father, desperate to protect his mother and four siblings, and terrified of losing the love he never expected to find, Tommy is pushed to the edge.
When Tommy’s father is found dead, Brett must face some impossible questions: how much is he willing to sacrifice for Tommy, and will having faith in him be enough?
Excerpt
Brett swallowed hard. His mother hadn’t stopped talking, but he couldn’t catch all of it through the rushing in his ears.
“…came up that way and he said there’s police all over, but there hasn’t been anything on the news. Not yet. Awful, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.” Brett tried to marshal his thoughts, think clearly through the jumble inside his head. No way. Coincidence. Isn’t it? “Uh, thanks, Mom. I have to, uh…. I’ll have somethin’ to eat later, okay?”
He got up and left the room, just as Monica set the plate of bacon and eggs down in front of him. She called out, but Brett didn’t respond, already halfway to the front door as he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and sought out the number he hadn’t had the heart to even think about deleting.
Come on. Pick up. Prove me wrong. Please….
It probably wasn’t anything but a stupid, sentimental impulse, Brett told himself. He didn’t even know why he’d thought it could be anything to do with—
“Hello?” A woman’s voice.
His stomach lurched. “Who is this?”
“Uh, my name’s Jacqui Austin. I’m with the Hill County Sheriff’s Department. Who—”
Brett shut off the phone quickly. Fuck! Why the hell would the sheriff’s department have Tommy’s phone? Unless—
Oh, God.
He gunned the Bronco into life, driving without thinking, despite the whirl of thoughts in his head. Brett turned off his phone when it rang; Monica, probably wanting to know why the hell he’d left like that. What could he tell her?
Brett drove through the Sunday morning traffic just on the legal side of too fast, taking a loop down by Deacon’s Bar, passing close enough to see the scene of crime tape. He hauled the truck in and wound down the window to ask the woman from the florist across the road what had happened.
“Carl Delaney from the corner store found him,” she said, sucking on a cigarette, squinting a little at this wild-eyed, crazy kid demanding answers. “Only a couple hours ago. Some Indi—”
“How old?”
“How old?” The woman frowned. “Why the hell w—”
“Please.”
“Well…middle-aged, I guess Carl said.”
“Thank you,” Brett called. The Bronco’s tires squealed.
Oh, God. Oh, Tommy…what did you do?
He hit the gas and just drove, not even aware he’d headed for Fresno until he drew up alongside the campground. Brett stumbled out of the truck, sick to his stomach. Tommy wouldn’t have, surely. He couldn’t have. No…he could. You can’t keep protecting people like that. Not forever. Brett’s own words echoed back at him. He finally caught sight of the Chevy parked sloppily down by the trees that led to the water.
He’s here.
Professional Reviews
A Whole Bottle of Champagne from Cocktail Reviews!
Brett’s your average guy. He’s due to start college soon to become a doctor and works on the ski resort as an instructor’s help. But, upon meeting Tommy, who works in the ski equipment shop, Brett’s life takes a completely different turn. Brett has always known he was gay, but he covered it up with girlfriends. However, Tommy evokes feelings in him that he can’t deny, and they embark on a relationship—friends first, then lovers.
Tommy keeps his home life to himself. As their relationship blossoms, Brett senses something isn’t quite right in Tommy’s house, but he doesn’t gain any answers when he gently prods Tommy about it. The love these two share is beautiful and transcends any idea that what they have is a fling.
Unfortunately, Tommy is pushed a little too far by his overbearing father, and events transpire to ensure Tommy and Brett are, in one sense, parted. Brett manages college as well as visiting Tommy, and Tommy can’t quite come to grips with the fact that someone cares for him as much as Brett does.
The issues dealt with in Breaking Faith are many. One tyrant can cause so much devastation, and Tommy, his mother, and his siblings are all affected by the drunken head of the household.
A rich and wonderful book, Breaking Faith shows that love can heal wounds, can change a person—and, despite many bigots saying it can’t—can exist between two men just as it does between a man and a woman.
One word sums up this book: BEAUTIFUL.
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5 Stars from Rainbow Reviews
"Breaking Faith is a wonderfully written, intense story about two young lovers who meet by chance but end up having both their lives changed in ways most can’t even imagine. There is an incredible honesty and brutal edge of pain that the author has imbued in her characters but even that is overshadowed by the story’s ultimate theme ~ faith. I found myself almost humbled by both Brett and Tommy, while at the same time wanting the happy ending they so very richly deserve. This book is intense from the first page and never slows the pace or emotion, so it’s not for the faint of heart. It deals with a variety of issues without trying to gloss over them or give unrealistic outcomes.
It also doesn’t have the traditional happy ever after, but in keeping with the book, it offers the hope of one and if you have the same faith Brett and Tommy do with each other, you will believe it too. I whole-heartedly recommend this book to anyone wanting an intense, emotional, honest book. This one will stay with you for a long time to come."
5 Angels from Fallen Angel Reviews
” … I picked up Breaking Faith thinking that the blurb sounded good. I hadn’t read anything from this author before and so, taking a deep breath, I dove into the story. I’m so glad I took a chance on this author and this book. Breaking Faith started out to be a kind of coming of age story. Brett begins his voyage of self discovery as a gay man with Tommy and it is sweet and tender. But, underneath this love story is a much deeper, darker plot line that, at times, had me alternately crying and raging at the characters and the fates. A tale of child abuse, physical, mental, and emotional, the toll it can take on an individual and the co-dependency that can develop because of it is true story here. … This is definitely a 5 Angel novel!”
Reviewed by Hayley of Fallen Angel Reviews. (Refers to previous edition of this title.)
http://www.fallenangelreviews.com/2008/October/Hayley-Br-
eakingFaith.htm
During the 1960's a young soldier struggles with basic training, a bully sergeant and his own inner demons. A tale of struggle, redemption and survival.
During the 1960's a young soldier struggles with basic training, a bully sergeant and his own inner demons. A tale of struggle, redemption and survival.
