The Road Home is the newest release from Brad Vance, this time collaborating with fellow writer, Elsa Winters.

To be truthful, I didn’t know what to expect. I love Vance’s work, having read several of his novels, but wasn’t sure how someone with such a strong voice would be able to merge successfully with someone else.

Turns out, I needn’t have worried. This is a terrific story, told in inimitable Brad Vance style, with a distinctive narration by Nick, the story’s main character.

Nick has braced himself for working with his new paramedic boss, Andrew, who is notorious for his rough treatment of EMT’s. But Nick is no pushover. Having been brought up in the care system, and with an innate ability to survive, Nick has prepared himself, and gradually wins Andrew’s trust. They become a good partnership, then friends, but all the while, Nick is fighting growing feelings for Andrew, knowing that he has a girlfriend. Nick is also unwilling to jeopardise their friendship by making his feelings known. When Andrew reveals his plans to go to the UCLA Medical school, Nick has to face up to his own ambitions and feelings, and act accordingly before it is too late.

A deep understanding of his characters

There is a lot going on here. As well as great insights into the lives of paramedics and EMT’s, there is a story of two men, one born to great privilege and the other dragged up through the care system, having known loss and pain.

It is a buddy story, of two dudes doing dude things; hiking, climbing, shooting the the shit whilst backwater camping and flipping burgers.

It is the careful crafting of their relationship, and the gradual revealing of their stories. No family is perfect, no matter how much money or care is thrown into it.

It is the love between them, and what they decide to do about it before they end up in bed. In short, it is a terrific tale with two very likeable characters, and a cast of family members who have their own interesting stories to tell. If this is the first Brad Vance book anyone picks up, then it’s a great introduction. The storytelling style is easy, drawing the reader in almost as if having a conversation face to face, yet the detailing which I always love in a Brad Vance novel is there. He has a deep understanding of his characters, their chosen careers, their flaws and vulnerabilities, I felt that with a couple of his recent books, he floundered a bit, but now he’s back, with a romance that feels solid and masculine as rough-hewn oak. A great introduction for Brad Vance newbies.

Format: Kindle Edition

Print Length: 183 pages

Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited

Publisher: Pub Yourself Press (25 Dec. 2016)

Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.Language: English

ASIN: B01MT2PX43

BLURB

Nick Carpenter grew up in the foster system after watching his parents die in a car crash. Now, he’s finally found a place for himself as an EMT. Partnered with a gruff but very competent paramedic as his first assignment in Seattle, he figures that it’s best to keep this working relationship strictly professional, even if Andrew is hot as hell.

“You let the patient talk, Nick, because sooner or later they’ll probably tell you what you need to know.”

Andrew Hazard loves his job, even if he gets paired with a different EMT every couple weeks. Once an EMT proves himself incompetent, Andrew makes no effort to be friends with them. That’s why it’s such a relief when Nick comes along. He keeps the ambulance stocked, he can drive well, and he knows how to start an IV. He’s great at saving lives, and also a great person to hang out with. From hiking to movies, they find themselves spending a lot of time with each other. Nick’s homosexuality definitely isn’t a problem, even though Andrew’s girlfriend jokes that he wants to spend more time with Nick than with her.

“You wanna go on an adventure?”

When Andrew gets the chance of a lifetime – going to the prestigious UCLA Medical School – his girlfriend doesn’t share his enthusiasm. And so, freshly broken up, Andrew asks Nick to go with him on a road trip down south to check out the area. Nick wants to keep him as his best friend, even though his romantic feelings have reached a fever pitch. But he also realizes that this could be his last chance to let Andrew know how he feels. Will Andrew let Nick into his heart, or will this road trip be their last hurrah?