Blink

By: Rick R. Reed

Narrated by: Brian Stoddard

Life can change in the blink of an eye.

That's a truth Andy Slater learns as a young man in 1982, taking the Chicago "L" to work every morning. Andy's life is laid out before him: a good job, marriage to his female college sweetheart, and the white picket fence existence he believes in. But when he sees Carlos Castillo for the first time, Carlos’ dark eyes and Latin appeal mesmerize him. Fate continues to throw them together until the two finally agree to meet up. At Andy’s apartment, the pent-up passion of both young men is ignited, but is snuffed out by an inopportune and poorly-timed phone call.

Flash forward to present day. Andy is alone, having married, divorced, and become the father of a gay son. He’s comfortable but alone, and has never forgotten the powerful pull of Carlos’ gaze on the "L" train. He vows to find him once more, hoping for a second chance.

If life can change in the blink of an eye, what will the passage of 30 years do? To find out, Andy begins a search that might lead to heartache and disappointment or a love that will last forever....

©2019 Rick R. Reed (P)2022 Rick R. Reed

Wow!

Talk about a second romance! This romance is many years in the making. This storyline is very good. The two men had a lot to go through before them come back to each.

Second Chances Later in Life

I liked this second chances story because it spans decades. It was nice to have Andy and Carlos' POV throughout the story. I didn't mind the time shifting back and forth from the past to the present. It was done nicely. The narrator did a good job narrating. The voices were recognizable.

Amazing!

This is the story of Andy and Carlos. I have read books by Rick R Reed before and liked them. This one though has to be my all time favorite.

The narrator brings this story to life. You can clearly identify the characters. Listening to this story took Mr on a journey that I did not expect.

I found the storyline unique and a trip down memory lane as I could identify with a lot of references to music etc in the 80's and 90's. It is written beautifully with an honesty that takes your breath away.

I received this book as an Arc and I am voluntarily reviewing it.

Middle Age Romance

I love 2nd chance romances. It is from each MCs point of view. It wasn’t a smooth transition from young to old. Very introspective, maybe too much for me.

Beautifully written, moving, and simply put, a great book!

Wow, this was my first book by Rick R. reed, and I found it amazing!
Raw and honest, it’s definitely not filtered through the rose-tinted lenses of romance: there’s the good, the bad and the ugly.
A fleeting connection sparked through a meeting of eyes on a train, an almost-encounter broken up by a timely phone call. A man deep in the closet, but above all, weighted down by guilt and shame, everything in this story is deeply emotional and touching.

Such a wonderful story!!!

This is both a new to me author and a new to me narrator. I loved them both. The narrator brought this book to life in the best way possible.

Originally released in January 2015, then released in audio on 6/17/22.

This book starts out in 1982 when being gay isn't anything like it is today. For someone the same age as these characters it brought back such memories.

It was sweet and heartbreaking at the same time. What could have been if Andy and Carlos hadn't been interrupted that night? How would their lives been different? Did everything happen the way it was supposed to? I say YES!!! Sometimes your life goes in directions you never expected. In the famous words of Garth Brooks;
🎵'Our lives are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss the dance'. 🎵
Andy and Carlos both got that dance that made them into who they are... Will Andy be able to find Carlos again, after all this time? You'll need to read or listen to the book to find out, no spoilers here!

A beautiful second chance

This was such a beautiful story. I knew from the synopsis that they were at least going to meet each other again, so I was kind of on pins and needles until they did! Satisfying and joyful.

Blink

I enjoyed this story it was compelling in the beginning when they first met and I liked getting to know both their point of views it took a long time for them to run into each other again and I found that a bit frustrating but I liked how everything worked out

Beautiful Story

I enjoyed the story, it was well written, had a very nice flow and likable characters. Even though this story had no angst, i wouldn't call it sweet either, more like a life story told by middle aged men who have lived and loved before. I liked Andy a lot and can see why he was unable to let go of his dream man he met in his 20s. Narrator did a good job telling this story and made this book a very good listening experience.

Beautiful Story & Listen🎧 Riveting & Heartfelt!

This is a beautifully written and beautifully told story did not just grab my attention and captivate it the entire book but it tugged on my heartstrings the entire time too. This is my first book written by Rick R. Reed and I enjoyed his writing style and will definitely check out more of his books. He created an original story with interesting characters and storylines that are easy to relate to and connect with, the characters are easy to like and care about too. His descriptive details take you right alongside the characters and allow you to experience everything they do, what they are seeing, feeling, and thinking. I loved the retro trip back in to the 80s when we first introduced to the two lead characters, Andy Slater and Carlos Castillo. Andy’s life is all planned out, he has a good job and will soon marry his girlfriend, Alison, his college sweetheart, but someone else catches his eye, a gorgeous guy, who he sees on the train. He finally gets the courage to meet him, but an interruption has him running away, back to the life he had planned. Carlos was disappointed, not in him, but for him afraid Andy was going to make the mistake and not live his life as his true self. The second part of the book is where most of the story lies fast forwards to the present time, some thirty years later, Andy has since divorced his wife but remained on good terms, their son Tate, now an adult, was six years old when they divorced and Andy outed himself. Andy never forgot Carlos and the connection and sizzling kiss they shared and attempts to find him and just when he thinks he found him, he gets some sad news. I loved how everything played out in book, the author takes you on a journey, the journey of the lives of two men, gives you a glimpse of what it was like for gay men back in the 80s and then in the current time, where they are in their lives and a bit of what they did in between. It is a heartwarming and wonderfully plotted story, a beautiful story in so many ways, especially the way it works out in the end, as it was meant to be. Rick R. Reed, thank you for this fantastic and emotionally heartfelt story, one that will stay with me for a very long time.

🎧📚🎧 Brian Stoddard did a great job bringing these characters and their story to life. He had a complete understanding of the characters he was portraying, captured all their emotions and projected them into his performance and had you feeling every single one. Stoddard did well covering the roles for all the characters, gave each their own voice, making it easy to follow along and know who was who. He is an entertaining storyteller and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for the great listen.