Review - A Bridge To Forever by N. Dune

Set in the world of the Beyond The Tide series, so there are events mentioned in this book which make more sense in the wider context of the series. However, this reads well as a standalone novel once this is borne in mind.

This is a great story of an established couple, yet each is so wrapped up in their own and grief (from events described in the series above) that their relationship is in danger of falling apart. You don't have to have read the series, as the reason for their grief and heartbreak is explained in this novel, without rehashing the entire series.

I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. For a while I was concerned that another character was going to get in the way and put an unsolvable spanner in the works, but that turned out not to be the case at all. This was a classic love story, albeit with a couple who are already in love and trying to find their way back to each other. Raz and Ben are lovely and realistic, their pain relatable enough for the reader to really want them to find their way back to each other.

Despite the subject matter, this seems light on the angst, playing it subtly with no boo-hiss villains or last minute dumb fights engineered to create tension. There is a moment near the end which is the set up for a Big Question. That was the only time the novel veered dangerously into cheesy territory but managed to pull back from the brink at the last minute.

Although this book didn't tempt me to read the series (due to subject matter which I find upsetting - not the author's fault) I enjoyed this book and loved Ben and Raz's story. I thought the sex was romantic and sweet rather than full-on steam, but again, that's just my opinion (see some of the other stuff I read and you'll get it.)

Overall, a romance with matter gay characters you'll fall in love with!

BLURB

Raz Left with a sense of guilt at his failure to protect his childhood friend, Raz has lost his way in the darkness that consumes him. A chance meeting with another man allows him to regain some control of his life… Will he take it? How could this affect his relationship with the one man who has always stood by him? Ben Faced with his own heartbreak, Ben struggles to continue supporting his boyfriend in the way he knows that Raz needs. He wants to move forward, pull away from the despair that has surrounded them for months and give them both time to heal and make a future together, but is that what Raz still wants? A friend’s kidnapping and the loss of a family member has left Raz and Ben in immense pain, but with no physical wound to show for it. The size of the chasm between them has continued to grow as they attempt to live side by side but not together. How will they begin to build a bridge and heal the gaping wound between them? Is it too late for these two lovers to reconnect and overcome the darkness that threatens to pull them apart forever? A Bridge To Forever is a standalone steamy MM romance set in the Beyond the Tide world.