Lynn Townsend

‘Building Us’ is a great title for this heartwarming story about a construction foreman and a professor making a life together: “building us” from scratch. What they are constructing is a new existence for the both of them, and the house that is just finished at the beginning of the story is a symbol of that. And as unlikely a pair as they are, one thing is certain: the love they share is deep, true, and amazing.

Eric is a simple guy, foreman in a construction company, and slightly emotionally closed off. He is afraid of not being educated enough for his sophisticated lover, but determined to ask him to marry him anyway. When the ring that goes with the proposal falls off the roof, and Eric cannot place it on Temples finger, he is devastated.

Temple may be a sophisticated university professor with enough publications to fill several shelves in his new home office, but he is also deeply in love with Eric. Enough to have stopped being a player, and enough not to worry about the ring having vanished. For him, it is just a symbol of their love, and he is determined to get married with or without it.

If you like sweet stories about opposites who clearly attract, if you enjoy reading about unusual marriage proposals and their consequences, and if you’re looking for a read that is as sweet as it is fun and hot (watch out for that shower scene!), then you will probably like this short story. I loved it, especially the absolutely perfect ending!


NOTE: The anthology this story was published in has been provided by Torquere Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
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The stories in this anthology cover a wide range of parenting - from newborns to small children to teenagers, and from new parents to experiences ones, as well as those who became parents trough tragedy. What they have in common is a look at the trials and joys of parenthood, at how couples deal with having children, and how tough it is to overcome some of the problems inherent in trying to raise children. add to that the difficulties some same-sex couples encounter in even being accepted as parents, and that made some of these stories particularly touching for me.

Equal rights to marry are one thing, but equal rights to raise children seems like it is a way off at times. This anthology shows all of the issues without holding back.


NOTE: This book was provided by Torquere Press for the purpose of a review.
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According to the dictionary, “A cascading failure is a failure in a system of interconnected parts in which the failure of a part can trigger the failure of successive parts. Such a failure may happen in many types of systems, including power transmission, computer networking, finance, human bodily systems, and bridges.” This story takes a look at such a failure in yet another possible "system"—that of a family.

Temple is the partner at home with the children, the one who goes through catastrophe after catastrophe, a situation anyone who is a parent will recognize as an example of that day, or in this case, that week. Their son is having a difficult time at school, he has a flat tire leading to the car needing towing, then the dog eats something he shouldn’t have, and their three-year-old daughter decides to “help” bake a birthday cake. What a mess!

Eric is away on business and watches it all from afar, but it affects him just as badly. Possibly more, because he isn’t there to support Temple, and that gets to him. The conflict between needing to make a living and wanting to be at home almost tears him apart. The problem is that he only took this job because it pays better, and he didn’t think the high travel percentage would be this bad. With Temple facing a meltdown at home, Eric knows there is only one thing he can do. He is honest enough with himself to go through with it, and I really admired that about him.

If you have ever felt your family spin out of control (or if you want to know what that feels like), if two men struggling to be parents and finding their very own solution sounds like an interesting story, and if you’re looking for a story that has struggling parents, disaster-prone kids, and a very loving relationship, then you will probably like this short story.


NOTE: The anthology this story was published in has been provided by Torquere Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
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