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Then The Stars Fall (2014)

by Brandon Witt(Favorite Author)

4.08 of 5 Votes: 3

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Dreamspinner Press

series

El Dorado Chronicles

review 1: This was my first book by Brandon Witt and I'm looking forward to more from him. This was such a beautifully written book, with excellent pacing, and solid, natural dialog. Throughout the book, I wondered, how or even if, we were going to get to a happy ending. I was kept riding the roller coaster, feeling the emotion of the characters, and traveling through the events of their lives, never really certain I was going to get what I want. It was hard to figure how Wesley Ryan, a veterinarian from a large city and a monied background, could possibly find happiness with farmer and feed store owner Travis Bennett. I couldn't imagine how the author was going to make me believe that a man who'd been married for twenty years and fathered three children was going to find love and h... moreappiness with a gay man with enough baggage to start a carousel at the nearest airport. Yet, the author did indeed show me how two people with disparate backgrounds could come together, through a series of trials and tribulations, to find a satisfying ending. Set in a small town, the author gave us a taste of what it might be like to come out, especially as a forty-two year old man who had always been perceived as heterosexual. Suddenly, Travis finds his best friend isn't speaking to him, his boss at the buffalo farm expects him to prove himself after having done the job for nearly twenty years, and a lot of the town have opinions on his relationship with Wesley. And Wesley finds that there is no idyllic life, that no matter where you make your home, you have to get to know your neighbors and to let them get to know you. He also figured out that prejudice works both ways, and expecting people to judge you and let you down was a fine way for that to happen.This story was beautifully written, with rich language that became part of the setting. The pictures were so clear and crisp, I felt as if I was looking at photos of the characters and their town. And the emotions were so real, the despair and confusion and anger were perfectly described and very touching.This was a warm, satisfying read and the perfect introduction to a new author. I am definitely going to be reading more of Brandon Witt in the future.
review 2: At first glance, the story seems to be about a boldly out and slightly flaming city veterinarian who has moved into the sleep town of El Dorado, Missouri. There to intern at the local clinic, his chance encounter with a grieving widower and his family of three becomes the catalyst for Wesley to actually consider making this town his home once again. But Wesley is valiantly trying to escape the shame and anger over being dumped by his partner of nine years and still recovering from two more years of hedonistic living. In other words, he is trying to find himself again and has sworn off men in the interim, for who could possibly find any gay men in this one horse town. But hiding beneath the weight of losing his best friend and loving wife, Travis Bennett also carries a desperate secret and is determined to keep it that way, until his sweet corgi, Dunkyn gets ill and he is forced to see the new vet.What follows is a story so beautiful that it is truthfully hard to pinpoint reasons why I would give this novel ten stars if such a rating existed. It was not just the growing love between these two men that plays out on the page, it was the family and town that changed and grew as well. Never have I seen such a masterful handling of both beloved pets and insanely sweet children. Such incredibly careful writing over every nuance in this story made this family and those who surrounded them undeniably real and fascinating to watch. There was no instant love, no easy reveal of the fact that after twenty years of marriage and three children, Travis was still attracted to men. No, there was pain and confusion, a denial of being gay and a refusal to be labeled bisexual; and there was grief—oh my their was such grief along with the story of children who lived in the shadow of their former lives. Every chapter in this book produced more to love about these men. Every page revealed just a bit more about the unique relationship Travis had shared with his Shannon and by novel’s end you were grieving her loss even though without it there would be no second chapter for Travis and no Wesley for him to love. Time after time, author Brandon Witt exposed both the love and hate that the town felt toward Wesley and Travis. This was no happy fairy tale where everyone accepted and got along, and yet there was such a subtle move toward acceptance from a town that had never liked change and refused to consider it. I must fully admit, I feel in love with this book. My heart bled for Travis and my stomach burned at some of the slurs and more that Wesley endured, but overall I felt the author offset all the potential hate with one soothing layer of compassion and healing after another on this sleepy town and the Bennett family.Once in a while, a novel comes along that simply stuns you with its capacity to move you. Then The Stars Fall by Brandon Witt was a gorgeously written, lush novel that flowed with such grace and beauty onto the page. less

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