James Oliver French
Released: November 23, 2014
GMR 5 Star Review
Kyle and Todd meet at a party in their freshman year at college. They fall in lust at first sight, then deep in love. In spite of Kyle’s melancholy past, their future together looks bright. Then Kyle disappears, leaving Todd heartbroken and alone, and their dreams in ruins. Fifteen years later, Todd is a successful but lonely psychiatrist. He still hasn’t come to terms with the loss of his first love. When a dangerous amnesiac arrives at the hospital, Todd is forced to confront the past, and is driven to find answers to the questions that have haunted him all these years.
Return To Me by James Oliver French!
In their freshman year of college is where Kyle and Todd meet. They fall for each other in the hottest sexual way and then they fall madly in love with each other. Kyle disappears and this completely devastates and crushes Todd's heart. Now jump 15 years later and Todd is a very successful psychiatrist but he leads a very lonely life. He has never gotten over his love for Kyle and how he vanished from his life.
I enjoyed very much how this novel was written in two parts. The first part is from Todd's POV on how he meets and falls madly in love with Kyle. These boys come from very different backgrounds to say the least. Kyle comes from a very religious family and he is kicked out of the home for being gay. Todd comes from a very loving and accepting family and gives him the strength to be who he actually is. So when they meet, sparks fly and they become the amazing couple that everyone loves. They plan a future of love, marriage and possibly kids and everything is going perfect for this beautiful loving couple. Now Kyle vanishes without a trace and leaves behind a broken hearted and a completely devastated Todd.
The second part finds Todd 15 years later. He is very successful and financially secure but there is still a hole in his heart which he hasn't been able to fill. Then he meets Simon at a convention and now Todd thinks maybe his heart can be healed with Simon. Just as he was letting go of his past with Kyle and trying to move on, a dangerous patient arrives at the psychiatric hospital. This man has some brain damage and holds no memories of his past except for a few pieces here and there. Todd is very reluctant to treat him but he needs to know what happened 15 years ago in order to move on with his life with Simon. This is where the story gets so heartbreaking as Todd investigated what took Kyle away from him so many years ago. The answers are so shocking and heartbreaking as I found it ripping away at my heart. This story affected me in so many ways and the emotions that I went through reading it was just simply amazing. This author has written one of the most brilliant and heartfelt stories. I loved the writing style in this book, the characters he created and the heart wrenching angst was just so amazing. I loved this novel from page one to the very end! Will Todd find the true answers he is looking for and at what cost? Who will Todd end up with or will he be alone again? Can his relationship with Simon survive this? Will Todd and Kyle have the HEA they so desperately deserve? I highly recommend this beautiful story of love, acceptance, heartbreak, drama, intrigue and forgiveness.....Return To Me by James Oliver French!
A girl trips and falls onto me, spilling her drink all over my new shirt. I catch her and she stares deep into my eyes like I’m her savior.
“I’m sorry, but I’m gay,” I try to shout over the noise of the crowd.
She slurs, “Hey, Ray. I’m Kirsty.” She belches and almost vomits, but swallows it back down. Not sexy!
“No, I’m gay,” I shout even louder in her ear.
“You’re what?” she yells, cupping a hand to her ear.
“Never mind,” I say and walk off, much to her annoyance. I need to get my shirt dry, and our little conversation was clearly going nowhere.
I squeeze my way through the crowds, and it takes two laps through the house to find the bathroom. I finally have a good look at the damage to my shirt. That stupid cow was drinking cherry cola and the fabric is stained deep red. My t-shirt is ruined. I take it off and try to rinse it under the tap. The world starts spinning and I wobble on my feet. I have to grab hold of the hand basin to steady myself. Wowzers, I’m drunk. The cola washes out, but leaves behind a bright pink smudge that looks like it’s here to stay. Now my shirt is not only stained, but also drenched. Smart move, Todd. What was it again that everybody always says about alcohol and making unwise decisions?
The bathroom door swings open, and a hot guy with a short military-style haircut, wearing dark blue jeans and a black singlet, walks in while undoing his zipper. He pulls out his johnson before he realizes that he’s got company, and startles when he notices me. I take a step back in surprise too. My eyes drop straight to his crotch and he stares at my bare torso.
“Sorry, man. Didn’t know anybody was in here,” he apologizes.
He zips up his pants, leaves the room and closes the door behind him in a hurry.
I just saw another guy’s dick. Score! I mean, I’ve seen other guys naked before, obviously. But if I’m going to be honest, mostly in porn videos, almost never in real life. I hope he didn’t catch me staring.
I do my best to wring out every drop of water from my t-shirt, then put it back on. It used to cling to my body and make me feel sexy, but now it’s creased and baggy. I look like a homeless person. Ah well, who cares! I’m here to have a good time, right?
Lee finds me lurking in the hallway and drags me into the crowds.
“Where are we going?” I say, ducking out the path of a flying wad of toilet paper.
“To dance off the alcohol. You’ll thank me tomorrow.” He smiles and leads me into the belly of the house, where the lights are down low and the music is pumping.
Within minutes, Lee has his tongue down the throat of some girl he just met. I know he’s going to regret taking her home with him tonight, which he inevitably always does. Probably safer if I don’t go back to our room until tomorrow morning. I’d rather not have to try sleep through the sounds of them doing the nasty.
For a long time I don’t notice the guy staring at me from across the room. He winks, and I smile back bashfully. I’m not used to getting attention from the hottest guy in the room … or any guy, for that matter. Wait a second … he’s the one who flashed me in the toilets! Standing there in his black singlet, showing off his muscled arms, and swaying to the music: just oozing cool. I cross the dance floor, never breaking eye contact with my handsome admirer.
“Hey,” I say.
“Hey, I’m Kyle.”
We shake hands. He’s got a strong grip. I wonder how it would feel wrapped around my dick. Whoa! Where did that come from? Is this the alcohol talking? I’m still a virgin! The furthest I’ve ever gone was heavy petting. I’m a good Christian boy, after all. In high school, my boyfriend and I pledged “no sex before marriage” chastity vows. We even gave each other those stupid promise rings that everyone was wearing a few years back.
“I’m Todd.”
“I’m a big fan of the comics,” he shouts in my ear.
Kyle points at my stained t-shirt with a picture of the Wolverine from X-Men on it. I’ve never met anyone my age who’s even heard about the comic books, let alone been a fan of them. Most people my age are fans of the movies, which don’t even come near to portraying the true depth of the characters and meaningful story arcs. They’re only interested in the cool mutant powers.
“It’s ruined, though.” I rub at the pink stain.
“I have to apologize for barging in on you in the bathroom earlier.”
“There’s no need,” I assure him, putting my hands on his hips. He smiles and we draw closer together.
We dance for over an hour without saying a word to one another. It’s too noisy to have a conversation anyway. The packed room means that we can grind up against each other without being inappropriate in public, same as all the other couples in the room. I can feel the bulge of his erection rubbing against mine through my jeans. Our lips connect and almost magnetically lock together. Our tongues dance while our bodies merge into one. His kiss electrifies me.
I glance around the room filled with other couples kissing and drunk singles staring with envious eyes at their hooked-up friends. Kyle touches my cheeks with his fingertips and guides my lips back to his. Goosebumps spread across my skin as he touches me. It’s as if nothing exists in the room except the two of us.
Bright light explodes all around us and illuminates the entire room. There’s a deafening silence as the music stops abruptly. Everyone in the room shields their eyes and looks around, filled with indignation.
“Okay, kids, it’s time to wrap this up,” booms the stern voice of a police officer. Several members of the riot squad show up behind him.
Girls start screaming and rushing for the doors. There must have been a hell of a lot of underage drinking going on, because I’ve never seen so many people swarming for the nearest exit in my entire life. It doesn’t dawn on me immediately, but I’m on the honor roll and need to get out of Dodge, pronto. Getting arrested at a party isn’t going to look great on my med school application.
Kyle whispers in my ear, “If I lose you in the crowd—” just as a line of girls pushes their way between us and through the crowd. Kyle is pulled away as we’re swept apart by the sea of people.
“Meet you where?” The pandemonium going on around us drowns out my words.
I lose sight of him and then he’s gone. I stand there in disbelief.
“Move, asshole!” A girl snaps at me as she shoves past. I recognize her from earlier. Kirsty is dragging a skinny nerd by the hand, a guy so drunk he can barely keep his eyes open. She’s found her prey, and boy is she going to be disappointed when he passes out on top of her tonight. I guess that’s what we’re at college for—to live and learn, right?
I follow the masses out onto the street and decide to take a shortcut through a nearby park. Now I see why the police were called out. A bunch of imbeciles had started throwing bottles at the neighbors’ houses and trashed one of the cars parked on the street. Our night of drunken debauchery has officially drawn to a close. It’s been fun, but now it’s time to go home.
Then I remember—I don’t want to see Lee having sex ever again. Once was enough to scar me for life. I’ll take a walk home and go the scenic route. That should help kill a few hours and burn off what’s left of the alcohol in my system.