FanLit

Ahh, I see the new series starts with the last three chapters of this series…

A lovely visit back into this world. Nice that Mark is fully embracing his French side, not because of his mother’s husband (because James was never a father to Mark) but because it the other half of him and in claiming that side, he became whole, personally and professionally. “It felt like something I needed after almost dying two years earlier on a Global Citizen project.“ I hope this gets addressed in the new stories you’re writing about these guys; I’m fond of them, I know U-N-I better than I know Coldplay, lol. Congrats Jordan and Grainne on impending parenthood….at least they’ve had exposure with their friends, I think they were the last childless couple in the group. Life so far seems really good for them; it’ll be interesting to watch them merge their careers with their families.

Damn, you write good. (My old west speak for saying your descriptions are flawless).

I’m curious too, and hope August truly does have a good hiding place for those letters.

I LOVED the confrontation between August and Rob, so proud Augie stood up for himself, after all, he only spoke the truth; Rob’s reaction to the talk was interesting….while there is definitely jealousy there, it does seem most of his handiwork is to keep their father off his own back, Rob damn well should have left August to rest, he knows it’s well earned….there may be hope for Rob Cooley yet but I ain’t holding my breath. Good on Grandmama Faulkner leaving the Faulkner homestead to August & even better that he realizes his destiny is not on the Cooley ranch; you’d think if Albert wants to barter August off in a marriage of convenience, as “he be the kind of pretty what women like, and it be his job to find him the right deal.” he’d treat him nicer; I know you have a different relationship with each child for various reasons….it’s clear Albert likes to see his literal reflection in his firstborn; I wonder how he would have treated August if he were the eldest. For some reason I want to say it’s not all hate and control in Albert’s feelings for August. Mrs. Cooley’s parents hate their son in law, was that before or after their daughter married him? (I can’t see Albert Cooley capable of fooling anyone with charm, maybe guile). Was August’s mother fooled? Trapped? Her choice of Albert Cooley is very interesting in light of the fact the Faulkner’s came from money and even if as a woman she may not have gotten land, her father would have set a fortune on her. Is there a reason August’s Mother and Grandmama’s name haven’t been given? (We know her father was Brewster); actually, outside of Laura Crawley, I don’t recall the mention of any female’s name, unless I’ve missed it. Augie wound up getting his meeting with Fletcher after all-does August realize Fletcher wanted to share his day with him? especially one so painful? While there was no ‘rasslin’ of arms and legs, there may well be some ‘rasslin of realization based on Fletcher’s question. Will Rob become a better man? Will August admit he was mooning over Fletcher? When will August tell Albert he’s leaving? (‘cause I don’t see that going well a’tall). Find out on the next installment of Roping the Moon. 📿🍻

“There’d been one time when his Pa was drunker than usual and said August looked too damn much like his mother for his own good. He been scowling at the time, and told him to get out of his sight… to go find something to do so he didn’t have to look at him. Not much his father said could hurt him anymore, but that time he had. Not long after, his duties changed.” August triggers Albert because he looks and acts like his deceased wife, August’s mother. I wonder if he really loved her….it wouldn’t surprise me if he felt something for her but wouldn’t know what to do with good and tender feelings if they paid him, so he mistreated her, hopefully, not to death. Albert is going to test me in this story for sure, his words and actions toward August rankled me good, lol. “Albert spat, and it landed on his horse’s shoulder. He didn’t wipe it away.” This line disgusted me, made me want to spit on him, further evidence of his wicked ways, that and the spur scars. If Albert’s so keen to “do the picking”, why doesn’t he pick another bride for himself? Plenty of women would marry him for his wealth alone. “He had to keep in mind Rob was tasked with keeping an eye on him, looking for any reason to get their pa raging at his younger brother, no matter it be a true thing or not. He’d given up long ago figuring out the why of it.” August triggers Rob because he is jealous of his younger brother, and like a true chip off the old block, is likely as miserable as his father. August has it bad for Fletcher, lol!! His mooning over him was charming yet bittersweet, as even if his father wasn’t a hateful piece of shit, he’d still have to conceal his attraction; now his secret spot is secret no more, with Rob’s discovery of it (thank goodness he didn’t follow him four days ago). What will Rob do with this information? I don’t want August to catch licks for this, I wish he’d fight back but his poor excuse for a father would probably kill him. Grandmama, where are you?

Love the use of the word sidewinder. I thought of fears of Albert Cooley as well-could he be more like August than we currently think?

This sounds like it should be on the back of the book cover. What an amazing review.

Is it?…Could it really be?!?! HEADSTALL MONDAYS ARE BACK❣️❣️❣️❣️ 🍾🍾 Hello, Dear Gary, LOL!! It look like you’re going to take us on quite a ride with this tale, the first chapter alone put me in the mind of the Hatfields and the McCoys, mixed with a Romeo and Romeo love story. Now my Shakespeare’s a little rusty but I don’t recall the Montagues and the Capulets sounding as amoral as one Albert Cooley already sounds….can’t have much favor for one who beats on his boys or abuses another’s animals; if what Fletcher Crawley said was true and Albert charged his father for help he should have willingly given a fellow neighbor during a time of need AND then took him to task for said charge in front of the whole town, that tells me: 1) Albert Cooley feels justified in his actions and 2) he can’t be a person well viewed amongst his townsfolk. (then again….) I don’t know if Rob will be a chip off the old block but August certainly is not, hopefully his maternal grandmother gives him the opportunity to break free of his father once and for all….maybe then he can give in to the mutual feelings he shares with Fletcher; a whole lotta chemistry churns between those two….given the times, I guess if you can’t fuck, you fight (pardon the crudeness but it’s the thought that kept circling my brain when I read their encounter by the river). Your people are gonna make me laugh and smile, Gary. Your people are gonna make me upset and angry, Gary. Your people might make me cry tears of joy and tears of sadness, Gary. Your people will touch me, Gary, like they always do, and I’m here for it. 💝 Reckon I’ll see you next Monday….thanks for moseyin’ on down for a spell to tell your tale. 🍻

Harry is far more attractive than he gives himself credit for (ask Lewis, James and Spencer) but whatever was in Nottingham broke him….it’ll be interesting to see who steps up to Harry first and makes him realize that he’s: A ) desirable and B ) not only the sum of his errors. Chapter 1 made me sad for him, this chapter made me hopeful, which I am willing to be on his behalf, lol.

Under his father's own roof, no less.

I don't trust Tommaso. His big brother disdain aside: "Matteo’s fingers tightened on the arm of his chair. “So the Holy Father plots against us while blessing us from the altar.” "Ludovico gave a thin smile. “You are learning the ways of men, nephew. God may be eternal, but His vicar keeps a ledger.” "Tommaso bristled. “Speak carefully, uncle. We owe respect to the Holy See.” Does Giovanni predict the future in his own home?: "He leaned forward, eyes hard. “So when you drink with Lorenzo’s friends, remember: we stand beside him not only for profit, but survival. Sixtus sows discord, turns families against each other, poisons loyalty. Every sotto voce intrigue in the market may carry his breath.” Matteo speaks with the headlong zest of impassioned youth not yet tempered by sobering experiences, hopefully his father and Uncle Ludovico can rein in and perhaps channel that energy to their benefit. Giovanni is a man who keeps his ear to the ground and his nose in the air, to stay ahead of changes that can positively or negatively affect his family & their livelihood, so it's not surprising that he at least suspects the true nature of the relationship between his son and young Mr. Colonna: “And as for your companion,” Giovanni said, voice cool. “The Colonna boy. It is well enough for a man to hunt and spar with his friends, but appearances matter. Gossip is a weed that strangles faster than ivy. Do not give it root.” He paused. "I have buried gossip before, and not all of it rumor." This begs the question: is he tolerant of his son's preference or will he subsist in plausible deniability, only forced to deal with it if he has to? Does he turn a blind eye because Matteo is yet unmarried? What do Ludovico and Tommaso suspect of the two young men & how will that manifest itself in the future? Lauretta may be a "girl of rank and virtue" but I hope she's also nice; arranged marriages, while not generally steeped in romantic connections, would no doubt survive close scrutiny if the wedded parties like each other or at least get along. It is interesting that Gianluca & Tommaso both seem to be ruled by their faith: "Gianluca’s brow furrowed. “Sixtus is the Holy Father.”....“You speak as though faith were tyranny,” Gianluca said, voice taut. “The Pope is God’s Vicar. To defy him is to defy the divine order.”.... "Heretical" behavior aside, how then does Signore Colonna reconcile his desire for Matteo with the Holy Roman Catholic Church? Gianluca remains a wildcard in all of this to this point, time will tell where his loyalties lay.

Your words transport back in time, making this time period as much a character of the story as the people it envelopes. At first, I thought Danilo's grumblings meant he was envious of Matteo, then realized given the treacherous environment they inhabit, he might just be the most loyal to him: "A burst of muffled laughter followed, and Giuliano turned, eyebrows raised. “By the saints, Matteo, where did you find such a saucy varlet?” Matteo laughed ruefully. “He found me. Wandered into our kitchens one winter night, half-starved and wholly insolent. Bit the steward, insulted my mother, stole a loaf of bread. We tried to throw him out, but he refused to go.” Giuliano laughed. “And you kept him?” “He kept himself,” Matteo clarified. “Like a feral cat that decides which house it owns.” Danilo lifted his cup. “And I bite only those who deserve it.” Giuliano clapped Matteo’s shoulder. “Keep him close. Florence breeds flatterers faster than friends. A man who bites might yet save your life.” Danilo has appointed himself Matteo's steward but at what cost? Surely he surmises the connection between his liege and Gianluca, does he approve? Does his loyalty and protection come from a fraternal or romantic source? If it's romantic, will there be a cost in jealousy somewhere down the line? “Bravery and folly often share a bed,” said Matteo softly. The intrigue runs thick in this chapter, and I haven't even touched upon the presence of the house of Medici, lol. An enjoyable chapter which whets the interest for more.

You shared in “Within”, the sweet reminisces of an idyllic summer, innocent (yet charged) memories that awoke within you a road I don’t know if you were ready to travel at that time, yet within you from then on, lay the path inevitable to you. In “If Only”, your lyrical self flagellation over letting a love go is bracingly haunting: you look within the mirror of truth and take accountability for what is, while the longing for what was slivers through. “Lessons”- “Pride goest before the fall”, to learn that once should be enough…. maybe for a rare few it is; it has not been so for me, nor apparently for you. What a contemplative group of poems, Gary; I hope the generation and sharing of them gave surcease to the disquiet of your thoughts, even if temporarily. 🍻

It says so much about Rob's love for Mark that THE face of U-N-I wants to push for Mark to have this attention. 💝