Thirty-six year old potter Brady Treherne is shocked to come face-to-face with his ex-lover, Philip, during what appears to be a simple job interview. Philip was both the love of his life and the man who got away and seeing him now catapults Brady into revisiting memories he’d hoped he’d left behind.
Later that evening, Philip calls on him at home, and Brady finds himself having to make a choice between the man he used to love, and the new relationship he has just begun with another man. Which will he choose and can Brady reconcile his past with his future at all?
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Reviews:
“Brady’s Choice is a short but intense story examining the issue of ‘the one that got away’ and portrays it in an effective, concise manner … Anne Brooke’s ability to pack such a great deal of information in so few words is amazing.” [From a review at Rainbow Book Reviews]
“I have long admired Anne Brooke’s stories, because she is a master of the short form ... (she) has a way of writing a short story with the same effect that another author would use 300 pages to tell. They are effective because they’re highly honed and there are no frivolous scenes, and in a medium where every word counts more than a sentence counts in a novel, the effect is that each scene, each bit of dialogue means more to the reader ... This is a story that I will whole-heartedly recommend to anyone and I hope that those of you who buy this story will get as much or more enjoyment out of it than I did.” [From a 5-star review at Jessewave Reviews]
“Although this is only a short it's packed with an emotional intensity and contains a very flawed first person narrator in Brady ... Overall a great read with strong characterisation and fluid writing. Grade: Excellent.” [From a review at Well Read Reviews]
“Brooke excels in short story format and this offering has all the hallmarks I’ve come to expect: good writing, developed characters, a tense situation, sensuality over explicit sex, and an unusual ending. Basically this short hits all the high points and is very entertaining to read ... Easily recommended for contemporary romance fans.” [From a 4-star review at Three Dollar Bill Reviews]
“The characters in this well-written, thought-provoking story face an emotional crisis which many readers may recognise. The author is excellent at using setting and dialogue to help the reader engage with the characters immediately, an important strategy when word count is limited. Her trademark skill draws us into Brady’s life, warts and all ... I really like the author’s style for its delicious and sometimes dark mix of mundane domestic details with harsh emotional impact. The prose is clean and clear, a joy to read. It’s a romance, although a large part of the story looks back over a failed relationship. There’s sexiness, too, and a genuine feeling of Brady’s passion and capacity for love.” [From a review at Brief Encounters Reviews]
“Anne Brooke's ability to pack such a great deal of information in so few words is amazing. Even with the relatively small number of details presented, it was clear that the relationship problems between Brady and Phillip did not involve a lack of love, but of maturity. They were both trying to find something in the other person that should have been within themselves ... Brady's Choice is a short, but intense, story examining the issue of 'the one that got away' and portrays it in an effective, concise manner.” [From a review at Queer Magazine Online]