Time travel, trains and circuses fill this atmospheric
short tale. Wheeler Reynolds has been sent to check out a
property for sale - an inn set in the quiet Illinois
countryside which is quite the change from modern New York
where he lives. Overnight he's sure he
hears a train, but Mrs Pratchett the proprietor tells him
the
next day that following a dreadful train wreck years ago
the line was closed. That may be the case, but Wheeler is
about to find his DESTINY ON THE TRACKS.
Emilio Tenaglia and his brother Nicola know nothing but the
circus in 1918. They train hard to be the best trapeze
artist act they can. Parents teach the skills and hard
work ethic to their children, and the rootless nature of
the life means they have little incentive to leave.
Choices of partner are also limited. In modern times,
Wheeler stays another night as his plane is delayed due to
a storm. He is lured outside by music, and seems to see a
young man standing on the train tracks. Next morning the
inn looks different, and people are wearing old-fashioned
clothes. What's more, there's a circus in town! It's 1918
and being gay, as Wheeler is, suddenly is a dangerous
lifestyle. With nothing else to do, Wheeler agrees to give
a hand with the circus setting up camp for a dollar a day.
He admires Emilio and Nicola's good looks and muscular
build, but in such strange circumstances he's afraid to
reveal himself, even when one brother smiles at him. Not
only that, but has the train crash already happened, or is
it yet to come?
Like many time-travel or ghost stories this is a
bittersweet tale. Wheeler is shown as coping well in his
altered circumstances, wondering if this occurrence is
meant to teach him to change his noncommittal ways. If one
of the brothers leaves, the trapeze act will be ruined, but
that never occurs to Wheeler, who is used to a modern
office career. There's plenty of food for thought in this
spine-tingling adult romance by Drake Braxton. DESTINY ON
THE TRACKS will appeal to many readers as well as the gay
community.
While on business in a small town near Chicago, Wheeler
Reynolds hears a tale about a traveling circus killed nearby
in a horrific train wreck over ninety years ago. Haunted by
the story, Wheeler falls asleep thinking someone is calling
his name… and wakes up in 1918.
Wheeler believes it’s his mission to stop the accident from
occurring until he meets Nicola Tenaglia, an aerialist for
the circus. Time becomes his enemy as he quickly falls into
a whirlwind affair. When they are discovered, events spin
out of Wheeler’s control, and he and Nicola are separated.
Then the train begins to pull away. Nicola’s time is running
out….
A Bittersweet Dreams title: It's an unfortunate truth: love
doesn't always conquer all. Regardless of its strength,
sometimes fate intervenes, tragedy strikes, or forces
conspire against it. These stories of romance do not offer a
traditional happy ending, but the strong and enduring love
will still touch your heart and maybe move you to tears.
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