It was too much.
It was too much, too soon, and it would always be too soon. I would never get over this. This was what would continue to consume me and eat away at my sanity and my hope and my joy for the rest of my life. There was no light at the end of the tunnel because there was no fucking tunnel. There was a pit and in that pit was nothing but darkness. In the center, stood I.
Yeah, I would be happy at such a place too!!! Beautiful.
"I kinda figured. Ace always did seem happiest here in Banff. Wasn’t sure if it was because of the fresh Albertan air or the mountain ranges or the hellish cold in the winter. But now I figure it was because of you.”
This was a story about grief and loneliness. It's about being stuck in your grief and not knowing how to move on.
Archer had to endure a lot. Lost his parents, his brother cast him out of his life. The only person he had in his life was his best friend Danny. Danny was persistent in hawling him out of his misery. He invites him to his hometown Banff for the Thanksgiving holiday. This is were Archer meets Danny's dad Mallory. Mallory has been a widow for years and he's still grieving and lonely.
Being both quiet men, they get along great. Silences between them were never uncomfortable.
When Archer later returns to Banff to recover from a brutal attack, they get to know each other more. But Mallory struggles with their age-gap of 17 years. He's not ready to tell his son.
This is where Archer's POV changed in Mallory's. It was nice seeing the after through Mallory's eyes.
Wonderful to see two men that fit so well together.
I felt that soul-deep connection to him. It was an ethereal sensation of belonging and pride, like his happiness was linked to my own and mine to his.
I have to admit I'm head over heels in love with this book and honestly I'm not totally sure how to explain why, so I'm probably going to just ramble a little here.
Have you ever read a book and loved it just really loved it and had someone ask you why? And then you find that you don't really have a definitive reason. All you can say is 'because I did' that's pretty much what I'm feeling here. I know I've read books that are as good maybe even better but they didn't connect with me the way this one did. They didn't make me feel the way this one did.
Was it well written? Obviously I think it was and truthfully from as objective of a viewpoint as I can give I'm sure it was. Have I read books that were written better? Probably, I've been reading for around 50 years now so I'm sure there's a good chance that I've read books that technically speaking were better written and some of them I'm sure I liked as much or more than this one but I also know that there a fair number that I probably couldn't tell you much more about them, than the author's name and the book title, partly because it's been a long time since I read them but mostly because they didn't make a place in my heart the way this one did.
So what else do I know about this for sure, well I know I reallyliked the characters...
Archer grabbed my heart and shredded it from the first page and he also made me want to mother him...yep, it's milk and cookies time. He's had some really crappy things happen in his life and he's struggling so hard to deal with it all and I felt that. I mean seriously felt it. It was like a sucker punch to my heart.
And Mallory. He's the father of Archer's best friend, Danny. Mallory's fighting his own emotional demons, but when Danny drags Archer home for Thanksgiving, Mallory finds he likes his company and the two men become comfortable with each other almost immediately...no we're not talking insta-love or even lust here and that's probably one of the things that I can clearly say contributed to how much I liked this book.
The comfort level between these men, while it was quickly established it wasn't an excessive over the top thing. It was that day to day thing that happens to any of us when we meet a person. I know every time I meet a new person how comfortable I feel with them varies. The first time I met my best friend we started chatting like we'd known each other for years there was no awkwardness, we just started talking. The same with one of my son's friends from the minute he walked into our home he became one of my kids and yet ironically my son's partner and I took time to get to that level of comfort...don't get me wrong I adore that girl and heaven help anyone who hurts her because I am a momma lion and she is as much mine as my son is. Ok, I think I've made my point and hopefully it explains a bit about why I loved this story so much...simply put it was little things like this that added realism to the story for me.
On a more obvious l note and just one more little thing that added to my enjoyment was the setting, most of this story takes place in Banff, Alberta, CANADA and if you know anything about me you know that I am Canadian and Banff is practically in my backyard it's less than a 10 hour drive so of course I've been there...I've been to the Tim Horton's that Mallory and Archer went to for coffee...l know if you've read the book you're probably thinking this girls crazy there is no mention of Tim Horton's but you see there is...Mallory went through a drive-thru window and ordered Timbits and 2 regular coffees and there's only one place in Banff that you can do that. I know that every book can't be set in Canada and certainly not in places that I'm familiar with but needless to say when they are I also know that I can enjoy the hell out of it and I did.
I'm not sure where this author makes her home but if she's not from the Banff, Alberta area. She's either spent some time there or does really good research because her descriptions totally nailed the beauty of the place and I really just want to say thank you for that Ms Summers it was yet another little thing that added to my love of this story.
'Arrows Through Archer' is not my first read from this author but it is definitely my favorite and one that I honestly hope to revisit. There was a balance to this one that I often look for in a story...there were bad times...heartache, sadness and loss, but there was also good stuff...love, joy and hope. It balanced and when it's done right like it was here the overall tone of the story creates a warm and harmonious imprint on my heart in a way that while hard to define is still very solid and real.
So that's my ramble. I have some very definite things that I know made this story enjoyable but truthfully those things aren't what I connected so strongly with, they helped but it wasn't what sealed the deal for me. I think it comes down to the fact that sometimes things just work and just like with the people in our lives we love who and what we love and reasons aren't really necessary.
********************
An ARC of 'Arrows Through Archer' was graciously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
"One morning I woke, but the two halves of my heart did not."
I don't have adequate words to review this book, or tell you how it slayed me, or how hard I cried and grieved and wailed for Archer and for Mallory, or how impressed I am with this author's writing skills.
I'm sorry, Nash Summers. I'll buy a copy when it comes out because I just cannot write you a review - I don't have the words.
"Leaving me there in a million broken pieces, Archer walked out the door."
If you're reading this review, dear people of Booklikes, just do yourself a favor and buy a copy of this book on June 14, when it comes out, hide yourself away in a comfortable corner and read it. Have tissues, wine and chocolate ready. Yes, there is a HEA, if that's something that worries you, but their journey there is what makes this book so outstanding, so raw, and so real.
That is all.
** I received a free copy of this book from its author. A review was not promised in return. Good thing too, seeing how I can't adequately review this brilliant book. **
4.5 Stars.
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