| Title | : | Raising Cade |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | ebook |
| Number of Pages | : | 116 |
| Publication | : | First published September 1, 2014 |
Alan Troxler joined the Marines right after Nine-Eleven and served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, until an IED abruptly ended his military career. “Retired” at age 30, Alan has come home to North Carolina to start a new life.
These two are an unlikely couple at best—each is determined to make it on his own, and neither wants to be coddled. Together, they put their own unique stamp on a classic Hurt/Comfort tale.
Life can get complicated, and sometimes it’s hard to tell who’s hurt, and who’s giving comfort…
CONTENT WARNING: Raising Cade is a gay romance and includes brief, but graphic depictions of sex, violence, rape, and PTSD. Readers who object to content of this nature should not download the book.
Raising Cade Reviews
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The setup was great, and the story was well written, but the relationship between the MCs lacked spark and the story felt truncated.
Secondary characters, like Cade's roommate/BFF and her boyfriend, and Alan's ex and his husband, were introduced and dropped.
Cade's past trauma was handled via flashbacks, and the descriptions paint a raw picture but aren't terribly graphic. I liked that Cade wasn't a particularly sympathetic character. Alan was extremely patient but didn't read like a marine to me.
The dialogue was realistic and the past abuse aspect fairly well handled, but the ending was abrupt. Too many plot lines were left dangling. I'm not a fan of the question mark finish. -
I was going with 4.5 stars, then I thought fuck it, don't be mean.:D
I really loved this story, thank you Jonathan and the LL team for all the hard work that went into writing and producing it for our delight.
This is a well written story with a fantastic beginning which took my breath away. This strong start got my attention, and made me go..
But then, the story got going and I really appreciated the detail and the depth. This is much more than a light MM tale, it is more like a sensitive and articulate look at a realistic relationship. It is less like cider and more like vintage wine.
Reading this story is a little bit like living it.
A really good story !! Congrats to the author
So by the end, I was more...
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Very NSFW
Offered for
FREE from the M/M Romance Group's Love's Landscapes event. Thank you too all the amazing authors who participated!
2.5 stars but I couldn't quite round up. The set-up was good, I was interested in Alan's situation and in what was going on with Cade. But then it kind of fell off. I thought Alan was supposed to have PTSD and that this was about two broken people finding each other, but really, he was very well-adjusted. I didn't really see what he liked about Cade. Their first encounter wasn't flattering, but okay, he's curious. But Cade was kind of a dick to the waiter on their first date (HUGE red flag for me), and wasn't very pleasant overall.
Cade was alternately super traumatized and running away... or seemed perfectly fine. I didn't buy his motivations for how he had been acting prior to Alan, either. And other characters, like Eric, had confusing motivations as well
Then, despite Sabrina being mentioned a few times, the secondary characters we had met at first never reappear. What was the point of Eliot and Vince if they're never even mentioned again? And apparently Alan met Sabrina and her family at Sabrina's graduation... why didn't we get to see that scene? All we see are sex scenes, the occasional fight, and long inner monologues about clothing or landscape or some other boring thing, and long narratives.
I skimmed most of it. Just wasn't buying the characters or the relationship. -
Oh...this has me written all over it!! Love this prompt!!!
Yaassss! -
I really liked the writing style of this story. In some stories, it seems each scene is described very similar and becomes repetitive, I did not think this when I read this story. This is a story with depth and real concerns. It is not light and fluffy, but a coming-of-age, in my opinion. Second chances, if you are willing to try for them.
I feel that our couple were meant to be together. It wasn't instant, that was for sure, but I feel it just made them stronger in the end.
This is a story about a romance between Cade and Alan. They both have had a traumatic past. Alan almost lost his life in the military. He is a type of person that looks forward in life and is kind, caring and thoughtful of others. Then we have Cade, who was raped when he was younger and has yet to come to grips with how to live with it afterwards. He runs away whenever things start to get uncomfortable, especially when trust is an issue. This story is about the two of them balancing one another out, helping each other become stronger. The are each other’s anchor’s in the world they both live in now.
I feel the author portrayed both of them well, especially Cade. You could see the growth from within as Cade comes to terms with what has happened to him and the life he wants to share with Alan. Maybe we will be lucky and be graced with more of their story… though it did end well enough. -
15 percent in, and two people have used air quotes 900 times.
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Okay, so you may have noticed that I rate almost every book I read with five stars. In every single one I find something I appreciate and love.
Raising Cade has me in a dilemma though. There are simply not enough stars to rate this the way I would like. Few books touch me as thoroughly. Cade and Alan are characters that will stay with me forever. This rarely happens.
I enjoyed this so much. From the very beginning I was drawn in to Cade's narrative whilst the story unfolded around it without losing any momentum. Cade and Alan are both very compelling and easily liked characters. There is a small cast of secondary characters as well and even though they seem to be skimmed over in this story they have a presence that feels that there is more to them than simply tools to carry the story along. They have depth.
Cade and Alan though, oh my God, they practically lifted off the page to stand in my living room. They are as real to me as any physical person I have met.
Jonathan has created beauty and I do so hope he expands on this story. We need more of the interesting chorus line and definitely more of Cade and Alan. -
While I finished reading this last night, I originally gave it three and a half stars. However, I awoke this morning not only remembering them and the details of their lives but also still curious to get to know them and their friends further. Therefore, in light of that fact I had to bump it up that extra half star to a 4. :-)
I really enjoyed getting to know both Alan, a purple heart bearing Marine and poor, sweet Cade. I look forward to continuing to get to know them and their friends.
Though this is apparently the first foray into publishing Alan & Cade's story doesn't "feel" like an author who is only beginning.
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Two of my pet peeves are:
1. Continuous back-and-forth dialogue. Usually with an overabundance of exclamation marks. No description of tone or character reactions. Makes me think of shallow, high school-esque dialogue.
2. Something that is just soooo funny that the MC(s) cannot stop laughing. If it's actually funny, then the audience will laugh too - no need to insert a description of how they laughing so hard that they can't even breathe.
These are probably the two most prominent symptoms of telling instead of showing.
While this story may have started off strong and intriguing, unfortunately it eventually fell victim to this ailment. -
Just shy of 4 stars
Contemporary short story of Cade, a college student recovering from a brutal rape some years before, and Alan, a former marine who has his own issues. Cade has been turning tricks as a way of coping with the assault and one night picks up Alan in a bar. After some initial problems the pair decide to try dating and gradually get closer, which allows Cade to become intimate with Alan. I enjoyed this story but it felt like something was missing from it - I think I wanted more of Alan's feelings and emotions. Over all very nice and not angst ridden -
This is the story based on my prompt. I loved it. It's everything I imagined and more. It was hot, sexy, funny, sad. Of course, I would love more of the story, but what was written is worth 5 stars to me. I can't thank Jonathan Penn enough for picking up my promot and thoroughly running with it!
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4.5 Stars. This was a very well done novella, and I would love to read and expanded version or sequel if one were ever written.
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[NOTE: I rate most writing event stories (free reads) 4 or 5 stars because of my appreciation of the author's participation and gift.]
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Terrific book but not for the faint of heart. Cade seems to be on a self-destructive path but he's looking for control. Control of his sexual behavior, control of the men he has encounters with. Alan has some big adjustments in his life after leaving the Marines on a medical discharge. Both men are carrying scars and trying to figure out how to navigate their lives. I liked that Alan accepts Cade just as he is, waits for him to open up and share his past, finding a man worth the effort it takes to do so. Cade reaches a point where he has to stop running from himself and his past. I one moment he realizes that he's grown enough to trust Alan and himself. He can't change the past but he can move past it and live his life.
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2.5
The author's writing style and I did not connect. Most likely that has more to do with me than the author. I have come across many books that my friends love but that I end up feeling like there is some sort of glass wall between me and the characters. In certain genres that is something ignorable, or even preferable, but in romance it makes it very difficult for me enjoy the story. That was how I felt here. I was disconnected from the characters, they felt rather flat to me. Alan was the only one I connected to at all, and the only character I didn't dislike. Cade was...difficult for me. I know his trauma, but our paths in the aftermath were very different. I think he was realistically done, but his actions and reactions to his rape quite frankly freak me out, which is true of any character or person I meet in real life who does the same. I don't mean that in any way to be judgmental, more when I try to picture that response for myself I almost set off an anxiety attack. So I wasn't comfortable with him to start with. He treated Alan rather crappy and while I will excuse a lot of things because of abuse, trauma, or rape, being an asshole to someone who has done nothing to deserve it is not one of those things.
But what really really set me off, unfortunately, was meeting Alan's ex and his husband at the beginning. I despise these characters. I am an Army brat. My grandfather, my father, uncles, aunts and quite a few cousins have all served in one branch of the military or another. I don't care if you are a pacifist and believe war is always wrong and we can somehow avoid it (I think you are naive and lacking in basic understanding of humans, but hey, you are allowed to be) but you DO NOT DISRESPECT THOSE THAT HAVE SERVED, you slimy piece of filth. You, how knows nothing of it, stand there from the safety of home and make your asshole judgements.
So yeah, the husband wasn't doing anything for me. But the ex, who is also supposed to be Alan's best friend? Well he was just as bad. He just stood there and let his husband spew that crap. And, whether this was intentional by the author or not, when they are discussing things Alan mentions how he hadn't slept with someone for x amount of time, basically the time before he received the Dear John letter and some after that. His ex is amazed that he could go without sex for that long. Which means that he, himself, did not, even way before he sent the Dear John letter. Now, maybe I read it wrong, maybe I didn't. Maybe the author intended it that way, or maybe he didn't, but the ex came across as just as slimy as his husband.
It was a not a good start for me and put me in a mindset that may very well have affected how I felt towards the rest of the book.
Even Cade's best friend, who I think was supposed to be friendly and supportive, did not come across that way. But by the time I got to her I was full on disgusted with Alan's ex and his spouse so...take what you will from that.
I would read this author again to see if maybe without the upset at the beginning of the story I could connect better with the writing. -
Surprisingly, this is pretty low on the angst-o-meter, despite the content. It was an incredibly difficult read for me, but I'm glad I made it through, though there were many stops along the way.
Oh Cade. What a hard road he's been on. We get to know him and his background far better than we do Alan, though we get both POV's in the story. At 18 he was raped by his supposed boyfriend. For the two years following, he couldn't even think about sex with another person, but sometimes our bodies heal before our minds and he eventually went in search of something,
Enter Alan, freshly back from two wars and bearing his own scars in physical form. He and Cade meet and although it's a shaky start, they form a relationship. Cade runs scared when he encounters feelings he doesn't want to deal with and Alan has to try to cope with watching Cade run away. Alan is patient and gentle and exactly who Cade needs, if only Cade could stop running to realise it.
There were some wonderful healing moments in this story. I felt that we missed out on a major one that I would have liked to have witnessed (to see Cade grow and blossom from) I would have loved to see Alan more developed and more background on him, but seeing as there are threads left untied, maybe Jonathan will write more about these two men? *is not above shameless begging*
This was a very realistic portrayal of sexual trauma in a real, budding relationship. I feel like Alan stole the show for me, and I would really love to see him again.
A wonderful addition to the Loves Landscapes event. My thanks to the author for their time and participation. -
Wounded soldier; damaged society boy. Rape. War. Friendship. Solace. Love.
I really like Jonathan Penn’s writing, and his characterizations. I got a very vivid sense of both Alan Troxler and Cade Bishop.
Now, I understand that this novella was the product of a Goodreads m/m Romance group, with specific parameters as to length and content. I think Penn succeeded in his assignment in writing this.
But my problem is that there is such a wealth of potential in this piece, that it should be expanded into a fuller treatment. The ingredients are too big for the format—and it’s not Penn’s fault.
I want to know more about Alan’s childhood; about his family (you get tantalizing glimmers of his sisters and his mom); and the same goes for Cade (hugely rich social parents who nonetheless love each other and are fabulous generous liberal parents!). Plus, Alan’s friend Elliot sounds great—he was Alan’s first love. Why does he disappear after the first chapter?
Plus, as an increasingly curmudgeonly reader, I thought there was too much sex for such a short work. I KNOW that’s the point, but Penn is too good a writer to waste pages on porn when he has so else much to offer. Clearly, sex is key to Cade and Alan’s healing of each other; but it could have been used more pointedly.
Penn is a writer I want to read more of. I’m looking forward to a longer treatment of a set up like this… -
I really wanted to like this one, but it ended up just being "okay" for me. The "dear author" letter was great and all the tags pointed to this one being right up my alley. But, I found myself getting bored while reading the book.
I think one reason it was just okay was that I didn't like Cade. Not the behavior that resulted from his trauma, because I actually understood that. I didn't like the core of his personality. He struck me as entitled and snobby. He thinks everyone is stupid and he is rude to waitresses. He doesn't seem to have much compassion or kindness for others in him. And I don't think that is a result of what he went through; we get a little glimpse of what he was like before and he didn't seem much different.
I was sad about what happened to him and, as I mentioned, I understood when he was acting out and why. But, I just didn't like him, wouldn't want to be friends with him and didn't see why Alan liked him so much, so quickly.
Having said that, I feel like the author wrote the story well. According to the bio at the back, this is his first work. I will definitely keep an eye out for other stuff from him and will read anything that grabs my interest. I think my two-star ("okay") rating truly is a result of personal preferences rather than a commentary about the quality of the writing. -
This was a fairly good story in some ways. Cade's character wasn't too likeable at first. As a little character building took shape, I guess it was a little understandable. I think some page time should have been used to expand on his motivations for taking money for oral and the sense of power he thought he got from it. Alan was pretty darned zen for a guy that spent 10 years on deployments and was wounded. I never got a really good sense of what drew them together or made them fall in love. Cade's story was terrible but a little understanding of how his attacker went from a kind of boyfriend to attacker seemed to be needed. The manner of Cade's epiphany was disturbing. Why would he even try that again. So not terrible but not fully developed.
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Wow, I feel like I missed out on just reading this story now. This just really touched my heart. To see two men who have fought their own very different battles. What sets them apart is what they have embraced on the other side. But Alan is willing to take a risk and realizes that his own life is enhanced in knowing Cade. But Cade of course has the further way to travel. I love the receiving of love wasn't easy. That it was hard and gritty and almost didn't happen. But self revolutionrevolution and the embracing all that life has to offer. The best revenge is living.
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Sorry, this wasn't my kind of story, DNF at 50%.
Lots of telling and little showing. Really corny dialogues. Apart from Alan I found all people being jerks, incl. Cade who was a jerk already before his assault as you can see in the flashbacks. I didn't find anybody funny, especially not Elliot, who'd apparently also cheated on Alan (he comments that he can't imagine having 3 years no sex, in reference to the first 3 years of them being a separated couple). Alan was nice, than again picture perfect to the point where it was just overdone. -
Just enough, but not over the top in terms of angst. The issues depicted for the main characters felt very realistic, so their ultimate romance was all the sweeter for having to conquer challenges in getting to that point. Great prompt. Great story. The ending was a little open, so perhaps the possibility for more? Thanks so much to the author for this contribution to the Love’s Landscapes event!
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I really enjoyed this book, but I would have liked to see the secondary characters wrapped up a little bit, especially with Vince and Ryan. Cade was a jerk to Ryan and I would have liked to have seen that reconciled. I noticed that Homme for the Holidays is coming out Dec. 1/14. Maybe it will 'wrap' things up.
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My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again. -
Genre: contemporary
Tags: age gap, bear/twink, college student, ex-military, hurt/comfort, prostitution
Content Warnings: graphic violence, rape, PTSD -
3.5 stars
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Review to come
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STORY INFO:
Genre: contemporary
Tags: age gap, bear/twink, college student, ex-military, hurt/comfort, prostitution
Content Warnings: graphic violence, rape, PTSD
Word Count: 38,181
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