Ever been torn between two lovers? That’s Ricky Comparetto’s problem. It’s 1995, and Ricky is making his very first trip across the pond with his best friend. Ricky, hungry for love and looking for it in all the wrong places, finds it in the beach city of Brighton. His new love has the curious name of Walt Whitman and is also an American, which only serves to make him sexier and more intriguing. … intriguing. By the time Walt and Ricky part, promises are made for a reunion in Boston.
But the course of true love never runs smooth. In Chicago Ricky almost immediately falls in love again. Tom Green is a sexy blue-collar beast with the kindest heart Ricky has ever run across.
What’s he to do? With a visit to the East Coast on the horizon and a new love blossoming in Ricky’s home of Chicago, Ricky truly is torn.
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Torn by Rick R. Reed is very interesting and entertaining. Torn between two lovers… decisions and choices to make, experiences to have and share… this journey we take with Ricky keeps your interest for sure. The ending was a surprise but a very satisfying one that made me smile. This is definitely worth reading.
I received an advanced reader’s copy of the book and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review and recommendation.
Rick R. Reed writes a beautiful novel, and while I know to expect it, his words still have the power to leave me breathless. Though it only took a few days, I feel like it took me ages to read Torn, because I savored every aspect of this story. (After all, what could be better than having to stop and reread a passage, just because it is so perfect.) No idea how he does it, but Rick R. Reed just knows how to capture things just so exactly right.
Buckle up and gird your loins before delving into Torn. This is an emotional tale. The way Ricky exposes and shares every action and reaction, in the most intimate and personal way possible, it’s a pretty heavy story. I adored each and every minute of it though, and I promise, it’s 100% worth it!
I also have to mention what an amazing job Rick R. Reed does in capturing the experiences of living in the mid ‘90’s. At the risk of dating myself (I feel so old!), I’ve just shelved this novel about events that took place twenty-five years ago “historical”! Sometimes it doesn’t FEEL like it was that long ago. But considering the changes to how we live, and how we socialize, the past twenty-five years have brought some truly significant changes. Rick R. Reed brings it all back in Torn, and it’s superb.
Can he choose the right guy or does fate take over?
4.5stars
Once again, author Rick R. Reed had me wrapped up in the story, this time in a nostalgic trip to the 1990’s as Ricky goes from hook-up to hook-up, across the pond on vacation and in Boystown Chicago. Apart from the revolving door of men in which he delights, within the space of a summer Ricky meets two men who start him considering his chances for enjoying a continuing relationship. He’s torn between Walt and Tom. His best friend Boutros can only watch and stand ready to offer support.
Ricky’s exploits with both men and strangers, in the leather bars of Chicago or in London and England’s seaside resort towns, fills many of the pages. But Ricky’s quest for a man also reveals alot about him, his working class roots, his insecurities and the domestic life he dreams of. I liked this Ricky despite his promiscuous ways.
The whole premise of the story — who will Ricky choose to give a longer term chance — seems a foregone conclusion early on but Reed kept the suspense going until the last chapters and then came up with a twist I did not see coming.
I enjoyed this story as I have every one of the dozen or so books by Reed I’ve read. It’s a quick and easy read, the angst is minimal and the heat rolls out of every chapter.
Thanks to publisher NineStar Press and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.
I’m sure that life as a gay man in the 1995s was not easy…but not for Ricky. He slides through Chicago’s gay market, sampling all flavors available. When there’s nothing new to try, he accepts a friend’s invitation to visit the UK,happy for the prospect of an adventure. He admits himself that he’s easy,not discriminating age,color or size. That doesn’t mean that he’s not looking for a real connection with someone. Just his luck,he finds two but the way he tells his story is hilarious to the point that I couldn’t stop snickering even poor Ricky was distressed and sad.
Torn by Rick R Reed is greatly written, funny and with entertaining characters. I really enjoyed it!