Sky Full of Mysteries

Holy crap. I read this book in one day, in one fell swoop .... and I needed to let it settle through my brain before I wrote a review. I loved "Sky Full of Mysteries" as the plot draws you in bit by bit, like the slow pull of the line as a master storyteller steadily reels you in. And I hated "Sky Full of Mysteries" perhaps because there IS no right answer and no entirely happy ending, just as there is no right answer in life. I mean, the answer to the universe may be 42 after all, or maybe it's all a series of possibilities, of chance, of different paths.

I won't reiterate the blurb here, but suffice it to say the plot is absolutely compelling and holds your interest every page of the way. Reed does a beautiful job of creating characters with emotional depth, flaws and foibles. I love how Reed contrasts Cole and Rory's sexual sizzle at the beginning of their relationship, and the rich sustaining passion of the 20 year partnership Cole and Tommy share. My only small niggle in this tale was Rory's mother's reaction. I didn't quite understand her rationale (don't want to do a spoiler here).

Without giving too much away, the last quarter of the book and the ending is ... difficult. By framing this story as science fiction / paranormal / "aliens took him up in the spaceship," I believe Reed allows us to take a look at our own ideas about love and its possibilities. Do we go through life carefully guarding an inviolable part of ourselves wondering "what if?" What if, in the giant flowchart of our lives, we had picked Door B rather than A? What if that first love, with its heady blend of infinite possibilities and incredible sex, worked out exactly the way you hoped and dreamed? What if karma or the universe gives us the gift we truly NEED, although we may not WANT it when we receive it? What do we do with the possibilities we are handed in this life?

The writing here is stellar, with a plot that takes us on a path we may not be ready to traverse. I think readers will either love or hate the ending but I highly recommend "Sky Full of Mysteries" and give it 5+ stars.

I've decided that I really liked Rick R. Reed's writing. This is the second book I've read by Reed and this one didn't disappoint even though it's dramatically different from the first one that I read.

This book begins with Cole and Rory moving in to their first home together. It's the late 90s and they have scored a quaint little apartment for Five hundred dollars a month. They haven't been together long, but they're young, and in love and it's about as perfect as anything can be.

One night, while Cole is at work, Rory goes out for a beer and a burger. He never comes home. He sees a light in the sky for the second time, feels a pull and he's gone.

Twenty years pass. Cole builds a life with Tommy. In a twist of fate, Tommy was friends with the last woman to see Rory alive ...

This book isn't really a romance... I would categorize it as really good fiction. There is a loving relationship at the beginning, and there is a loving marriage later on. But this book is about so much more than romance. It's about losing someone we love... and let's face it, there are many ways for that to happen. The thing is ... when we lose someone that we are still in love with - as Cole loses Rory in the novel - there's a gap left in a life that may never be filled.

This book was striking because of the moments I got to spend in Cole's head. His grief and loss were tangible. He didn't know how to move on without Cole... and in a way, he didn't. Rory didn't change in Cole's mind. Over the years, he just remained Cole's first love and the man he lost. His husband, Tommy was accepting and gentle regarding Cole's emotional connection to his missing partner. But I couldn't imagine living with that hanging over your relationship.

Reed is a great writer. No matter the content of his books, I find myself sinking into the lives of the characters and I become emotionally invested in them.

Don't go into this expecting a regular M/M romance. This isn't that book... it's a much better book.