Published: June 25, 2011
Words: 11,725 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781465940346

Short description

Short story sequel: In Life Lessons, Mac and Tony decided that a closeted relationship was worth the risks and difficulties. Now, separated for the holidays, Tony on a Florida beach contemplates the joys and stresses of their hidden life, while Mac in the Minnesota snow handles a murder case that hits close to home. And in the evening, over the phone, they try to touch each other with words.

Extended description

Short story sequel: In Life Lessons, MPD detective Mac and high school teacher Tony decided that a closeted relationship was worth the risks and difficulties. Now they are briefly separated for the holidays by Tony's trip to visit his family. Tony on a Florida beach contemplates the joys and stresses of their hidden life, while Mac in the Minnesota snow handles a murder case that hits close to home. And n the evening, over the phone, they try to touch each other with words.

Adult-content rating: This book contains content considered unsuitable for young readers 17 and under, and which may be offensive to some readers of all ages. For more information, see the Support FAQ.

Tags

mystery, gay, gay romance, mm romance, mystery detective

Available ebook reading formats

This book is free. How to download ebooks to e-reading devices and apps.

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Plain Text (download) (flexible, but lacks much formatting)	Download
Plain Text (view) (viewable as web page)	View

Reviews

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Review by: auntyrob on May 07, 2012 :
I enjoyed this story, it fills in some gaps between Life Lessons & Breaking Cover (both excellent stories!).
(review of free book)

Review by: Ann Somerville on Sep. 09, 2011 :
A surprisingly meaty and satisfying 'freebie', giving us a window on Mac's work life and the lonely existence that Tony has brightened after "Life Lessons". A Christmas story without sentimentality - it's actually rather sad in parts, not to say a little gruesome - and in the end Mac is still deep in the closet, and holding back from a full life with the man he obviously needs and adores.

Beautiful work, Ms Harper. Sets us nicely for "Breaking Cover" but can be enjoyed for itself too.
(review of free book)

Review by: kharper on Aug. 16, 2011 :
Damn, had to put in stars to get this posted. I kept your rating so as not to skew things:

lolly jean, thank you so much for your eagle eye on this manuscript. (Several hundred other readers either failed to see this (I hope) or failed to mention it.) I have fixed the name error on the Smashwords manuscript and other postings, although some of the remote sites like B&N will take a couple of weeks to get the revision.

I want to state that my MLR press editor, who so skillfully edited both the novels, had nothing to do with this freebie. The error was mine alone. At the time, I had no one I felt I could ask to do a beta read on a free m/m story so all the editing was my own. (Janet was the early name for Brenda, back when I started Life Lessons - don't know why it reoccurred when I suddenly added that passage. Brain freeze, I guess.)

I'm sorry if it detracted from your enjoyment of the story. I'm like that too. Bad editing bugs me - even worse when it's my own! Anyone who cares to can re-download the new version here, since it is free. There's a lesson for other prospective new authors: as a last resort, blush hard and at least get your husband to look over your work (as I failed to do.) Private embarrassment being less painful than public screw-ups.

Again, I appreciate the heads-up.

-Kaje Harper
(review of free book)

Review by: lolly jean on Aug. 16, 2011 :
I'm bugged by the fact that Mac's cousin, referred to as Brenda in the first book and the start of this book, is suddenly named Janet. Hello? Any editors out there

Nothing drives me crazier than poor editing. Other than that, I liked the story.
(review of free book)

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