raven1

Great start Wayne! It is a darker start, but realistically I would expect to find young guys like Lee at Camp Refuge. Lee will definitely have a hard time changing his life after three years as a hustler, an abusive pimp and a drug addiction. I imagine he had something tragic that sent him out on the streets in the first place that also leaves him with very low self esteem. Hopefully, Greg and the other residents of Camp Refuge will pull another miracle on this young man.

Too correct @kbois! You would never bother with bumps or potholes. They're just too small to be bothered with. You like more monumental cliffs like El Capitan or the rim of the Grand Canyon!

Big bad mafia monster Harlan meets his match when he is assigned to protect the budding artist Elias. Harlan is welcomed to Camp Refuge when he comes home to help his ailing father. He stays when his boss assigns Harlan to protect the teen artist Elias. Through many adventures he becomes a fixture at the camp. The changes in Harlan is a beautiful story. There is adventure, love, healing and danger. This book is well written and I was impressed by the excellent dialogue filled with wisdom, humor and great passion. A awesome read that can stand alone. However, you will find it even better if you read the entire Camp Refuge series from the beginning.

What a great ending. The dinner with Corbin was icing on the cake. I loved Bailey's simple response. Maybe Corbin will present the ring when he shows up to collect in commissioned piece by Elias.

Heart wrenching! Now to get things fixed up.

Thanksgiving is a time to catch up with what is happening to friends a family. It was a perfect setting to see what's happening to the characters in the story. I loved the way Harlan got caught out by his father. Also, how Gary got his revenge for being the last to know about Harlan and Bailey. The new love interest, Huck and Carrie, may lead to Rayne and Patrick becoming brothers. (I don't like to use half or step just because accuracy is less important than the real relationship.) Shawn fits well in this group. Will we see more of him?

I admire Huck for his sincere and loving efforts to heal his relationship with Rayne. He is trusting both boys even if it is difficult for him to do so. Rayne might have more difficulty keeping the trust, but Elias will make sure to keep them both on track. I do like the fact that Huck has done the parent job by setting a few basic safety rules without forbidding the boys to have sex. Harlan is totally lost in his love for Bailey. It will make it difficult for him to tell the truth. I am sure he will be afraid that he will lose Bailey when he tells Bailey of his past. It will be a shock for Bailey, but I think they will come out of it OK. I just want to add that your dialogues always feel so natural.

Elias and Rayne's first kiss was so sweet. I am sure that Elias needs to go slowly with a physical relationship. His past as a victim of abuse will make this difficult for him even if he had received professional help healing. Harlan had to limit what he told Bailey. He couldn't trust the knowledge to Shawn a total stranger. Besides, who wants to spoil a first date. It is still ahead of Harlan, but I think after an initial shock that Bailey will be able to accept Harlan's past, especially if Harlan promises that it will remain in the past. I do like Shawn and appreciate his acceptance. I think he will be a good friend for both of the guys. However, I also think his initial reaction when asked to help with the date was misinterpreted by Bailey. I have thought for a few chapters that Shawn may have been crushing on Bailey. I guess I'll find out more in future chapters.

Considering all Harlan has been through, I think he deserves to act like a teen in love for the first time. Harlan and Bailey are both in love for the first time. Orson is Dad. He earned it. Elias is growing into a strong and confident young man. Orson took a frail and frightened boy and gave him love and a future. This is a beautifully written chapter.

The dream sequence was chilling, but had to be done if we were to ever know how Bailey lost his voice. I loved the rest of the chapter, and got a good laugh from Greg baiting Harlan. Orson and Joseph are going to have to let Elias go to continue growing. It will be hard on Orson, but I expect that he and Joseph will continue to mentor new kids from the Raven Project. I wonder how long it will be until Rayne moves in with Elias.

What an unexpected Christmas surprise. The snowball fight was perfect. I was very pleased that Marco was persuaded to join the fun they all had. The gardens must have look enchanted in the snow. With all the pictures taken by everyone the event will be well documented. I hope that Elena and Patrizia's plan will help Marco. I bet Sami will have a great time with Reza and Tiz. Angelo and Gianni will also have a good time with Sami there.

Take care Drew! I hope all of you get well quickly! Best wishes have been sent your way.

I really loved what happened in this chapter. Twice I was brought to tears. The first was Rayne and Huck's reconciliation. The second was Harlan and Bailey fitting together. Harlan is going to have some explaining to do, but it will be OK. I think Corbin will also be OK with their new relationship. I don't like Rogers by any stretch of the imagination. However, I did approve of how Harlan handled the problem. I doubt that Rogers will continue to preach the hate against gays as long as he is in town. That may save some young lives in the future. I think if Harlan had handle the problem as he did in the past, it would have interfered with the relationship between Harlan and Bailey. Now for some fun as Harlan breaks the news to his dad!

Bravo Harlan! That was great.

It's a joy to see how Harlan and Bailey are getting along. I am glad that Harlan can understand Huck's problem and focuses on the source. Harlan was quick to recognize something incriminating at Roger's home. It was a receipt, so the only thing that could have been familiar to Harlan was probably related to a mafia Family.

Big bad Harlan of the Riena Family is a coward? Cupid's arrow must be very potent and well aimed. What a great story arc for Harlan. Shawn sounds like a cute kid. Could he be crushing on Bailey? I wonder how old he is. Looking forward to more fun with the new and improved Harlan.

I hope Harlan uses this experience to re-evaluate what he thought before. He's smart enough to figure it out. I do hope he discovers another secret. I hope he finds out what happened to Rayne, and Huck's reaction.

Camp Refuge just keeps adding heroes. Bailey will fit in the community just fine. Now we know why he has been quiet, I want to know how he lost his voice. The scar sounded vicious. Rayne almost lost his life, but hopefully the hospital won't find any other injuries. Harlan is jealous! I didn't expect that. He has become emotionally vulnerable and will probably fight that happening. However, it's only going to get harder to do that as he learns what Bailey has done, and why Bailey can't speak.

Good start to the story. Harlan has greatly changed and doesn't feel as closed as before. Bailey is an interesting new character, but very timid. It will be interesting to see how these two interact, if they stop hiding behind masks.

There are many wonderful romances in this story of a place where those needing second chances have a refuge. This story focuses on many wonderful characters facing challenges as the build new lives. It is a stand alone, but also a great novel in the series. A great story when you need a lift. Don't miss out on the love and joy this story will bring to you.

This is a beautiful ending to a beautiful story. May there be many more.

Wow! Orson is no longer an asexual. He has found his own man to love. I would say both Orson and Joseph are very lucky men. I also like that Elias is developing his art and has a good market for it. The camp may not be profitable at this point, but I think that is only temporary. I wonder if anyone else will come along that has experience in writing grants. It is a stressful necessity of Jeremy's job, and he needs relief from that stress.

I've skipped commenting and reading comments for the last few chapters in an effort to catch up on my reading. I couldn't do that for this chapter. It is filled with many great moments, but the most touching was Elias' breakthrough and Orson realizing he has an important purpose here. It was an awesome moment.

It is very heartening to see the way the people in Camp Refuge have teamed up to help Orson. I think he will have a great future to replace his broken dream of being a policeman.

Hey Page! We're both doing well. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night. We went to a birthday party of a good friend. It was fun, but we stayed out late. I'm going to bed early tonight to catch up. How are you folks?