A Little Magic and Some Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
By Jeff Baker
Sometimes the road less traveled gets blocked by a falling tree.
“Three Left Turns to Nowhere” Bold Strokes Books new anthology of three interconnected M/M romance novellas features stories by Jeffrey Ricker, J. Marshall Freeman and ‘Nathan Burgoine. All three stories are set in a little Ontario town called Hopewell, a town the locals say may have a bit of magic to it, at least where it comes to bringing people together.
The three protagonists (all on the LGBT spectrum) are all on their way elsewhere (separately) when circumstances (including car trouble and a tree fallen across the highway out of town) strand them for a day in Hopewell.
In Jeffrey Ricker’s “Roadside Assistance,” Ed Sinclair and his friends are headed to a Toronto science fiction convention, (Ed hoping to meet Dr. Who’s Matt Smith) driving from St. Louis. When their car breaks down, they wind up stuck in Hopewell. This leads to encounters with hot mechanic Lyn and a mysterious figure wandering through town.
It’s instant antagonism between Lyn and Ed but the sparks soon become romantic. Lending credence to Hopewell’s reputation as one character puts it “Not cursed…More like enchanted. People say the town has a way of looking out for people and nudging them in the right direction.”
Complicating matters is the sudden realization that the mysterious figure may be a ghost…
J. Marshall Freeman’s story “The Scavenger Hunt,” involves, yes, a scavenger hunt. Not, however the event the main character Rome Epstein planned on. When his trip to the Toronto convention gets waylaid in Hopewell, he begins finding clues for a different kind of scavenger hunt which brings him to encounters with public artwork, homophobes and an enticing young man named Darcy.
‘Nathan Burgoine practically has a lock on the M/M romance story where one of the pair has a special, unwanted perceptual gift. In “Hope Echoes,” it’s Fielding Roy who occasionally sees things that have happened before. Stranded for a day in Hopewell, his power kicks into overdrive and he begins seeing images of the past almost every time he turns around. This brings Fielding and two local boys in position to solve a mystery.
Here’s a brief echo from “Hope Echoes:”
When he opened his eyes again, the hot guy in shorts and the tight blue shirt faded into sight at the corner of the intersection, took a few steps, waved at someone and faded back out. The guy was dedicated to his waving, that was for sure. But this time, Fielding noticed more than his calves, though they still stole the show. It wasn’t just blue shorts and a shirt, but some kind of uniform. And the man sported a tattoo around his left biceps.
As echoes went, at least it was fun to look at. Had he ever had hot beefcake replaying before?
Linking the three novellas in “Three Left Turns to Nowhere” is the well-constructed little town of Hopewell with it’s businesses and public art and people (like local mechanic Lyn) showing up in all three stories, linking them.
And then there’s the town specialty of grilled cheese sandwiches with a very secret sauce recipe.
“Three Left Turns to Nowhere” is a fun read, well written with plenty of sweet moments and a momentum that keeps the stories going and the added fun of the shared-world of Hopewell and its residents. Highly recommended.
Now, pass the grilled cheese. And the sauce.
Available from Bold Strokes Books:https://www.boldstrokesbooks.com/books/three-left-turns-to-nowhere-3805-b
Jeff Baker blogs about reading or writing sci-fi, fantasy and horror and other sundry matters on or about the thirteenth of every month. His fiction has been published in the new quarterly “Orion’s Beau” among other places, and his non-fiction has appeared on the “Amazing Stories” website. He and his husband Darryl love grilled cheese sandwiches. He regularly blogs and posts fiction on his website https://authorjeffbaker.com/ and wastes time on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/Jeff-Baker-Author-176267409096907